How Cross River Rail will change our city forever
Construction of the massive $5.4 billion Cross River Rail underground railway, tunnel and stations is already pouring $2.8 million a day into the Queensland economy. But this his how it will transform our lives in the long term.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
QUEENSLAND’S biggest infrastructure project will be a heart bypass that transforms the centre of Brisbane, hooks up more trains to the suburbs and regions and creates thousands of jobs when they are needed most, its builders say.
How SEQ’s transport systems are about to be transformed
Construction of the massive $5.4 billion Cross River Rail underground railway, tunnel and stations is currently pouring $2.8 million a day into the Queensland economy, jumping to $4.1 million a day as it ramps up even further through the second half of the year.
The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail, in conjunction with the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority (CRRDA), is presenting a series looking at the project and what it will bring to the state.
Matthew Martyn-Jones, CRRDA general manager for strategy and people, said the new crossing beneath the Brisbane River would end the Merivale Bridge bottleneck currently choking the rail network, open up new investment around public transport stations and get more passengers on more trains running more often.
The route runs from Dutton Park to the Boggo Road new technology precinct to a station next door to the iconic Gabba stadium before crossing under the river to a new station sunk 30m deep below Albert St.
The Albert St station cuts walking distances to less than 800m for big clusters of potential passengers in Eagle St, the new $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf precinct, QUT and William St.
It will also hook up with the new “grand central” station at Roma St, where passengers can join long-distance travel services, the Metro and buses before continuing to the Ekka showgrounds and Bowen Hills.
“Once people are catching the train through the tunnel, and experiencing it, it will totally revolutionise the way people get around southeast Queensland,” Mr Martyn-Jones said.
“It will connect the two busiest parts of the existing rail network – the Sunshine Coast line and the Gold Coast line – with a new tunnel.
“That’s where all the population growth is occurring up through that northern corridor up through Caboolture and up into the Sunshine Coast and then obviously down through on the southern corridor through Logan and Beenleigh and down to the Gold Coast.
“That sector of the network currently has to go through the middle of the city across the Merivale Bridge and through the old historical stations like Roma Street and The Valley.
“That’s a real pinch point, a bottleneck on the network.
“So by putting in a tunnel under the river and under the CBD and under the Gabba, you’re basically giving the city heart bypass surgery for the rail network and that means you’ll be able to run more trains more frequently.”
The underground line will also link the Gabba with the city centre.
“It’s an absolute no-brainer to have a high-capacity rail station on the doorstep of the Gabba,” Mr Martyn-Jones said. “It’s one of our most iconic venues to go to but it’s actually very hard to get to.
“It’s surrounded by busy roads Main Street, Vulture Street and Stanley Street.”
Albert St is set to become the busiest station on the network when it opens, taking 70,000 passengers a day after it commences operation.
The stations on the 5km tunnel section sit as deep as 30m underground, with trains pulling up at 200m-long underground platforms.
The work has continued through the COVID-19 lockdown, with the workforce of 1800 across eight construction sites, State Development Minister Kate Jones said.
“Projects like Cross River Rail are now critical to Queensland’s economic recovery,” Ms Jones said.
“Queensland’s largest infrastructure project is generating more than 7500 jobs, certainty for working families and thousands of contracts for local subbies at the very time we need it most, it couldn’t come at a better time.”
Among the army of workers on the mega-project is Boggo Road area manager Megan Wood. “It’s a city-shaping project which will change Brisbane for generations to come,” she said. “I can’t wait to take my daughter on her first train ride through the tunnel and look forward to telling my grandchildren that I was involved in delivering this amazing project.”
Originally published as How Cross River Rail will change our city forever