$50m grey cloud hanging over Brisbane Metro just weeks before opening

Brisbane Metro is set to begin its first permanent operations from January 28, but the state government and Brisbane City Council have a $50 million question Canberra have been dodging for months.

Aviral Sharma from St Lucia, Brandon Loon from Toowong, Ava Kenafake from Sheldon, with the Brisbane Metro Electric Bus, at UQ St Lucia during a trial. Photo: Steve Pohlner

• Editor’s view: Time to get moving

The federal government is yet to approve a reallocation of $50m in funding for a Brisbane Metro expansion business case more than four months after it was requested and just days before the first services officially begin.

A decision on whether the money could be used on a new rapid business case was expected as part of the Federal Government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook in December.

This was after former Premier Steven Miles and Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner jointly wrote to the federal government in August seeking support to progress the business case using existing City Deal funding originally slated for the now defunct Woolloongabba Metro station.

But more than four months on, the new state LNP government and Brisbane City Council have not received an answer.

Former Premier Steven Miles wrote to Canberra in August last year. Picture: Lachie Millard

It’s understood the detailed business case for the four proposed Metro extensions to Carseldine, Springwood, Capalaba and the airport would investigate the best routes, station location and the infrastructure requirements like fleet size and number of fast charging sites.

It would also probe how the new routes would integrate with the existing public transport network.

In December, a spokesperson for Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King said the proposal to reallocate the City Deal funding was “supported”.

But a spokesperson for the Minister has now said the federal government was working with the state government and council “to understand the details of the Brisbane Metro Expansion business case proposal”.

This is despite the joint letter in August outlining the need for the proposed Metro expansion routes, and similar details contained in council’s own being publicly available in Brisbane’s Games Transport Legacy document.

It’s understood the state government and council have not had requests for more information since then.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is waiting on a response. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said there had been “positive discussions” with the federal government about a Metro expansion.

“We want to move forward with a Rapid Business Case for an expansion of Metro services so we can keep Brisbane moving now and into the future,” he said.

“The lesson from the Cross River Rail project is that rail is no longer an affordable or timely way to meet Brisbane’s public transport needs.

“It’s now more clear than ever before that an expanded Metro Bus Rapid Transport network is the only affordable way to keep Brisbane moving in the near future.”

Queensland Transport and Main Roads minister Brent Mickelberg said Brisbane Metro needed to be delivered sooner rather than later.

“We will work with all levels of government to provide more reliable and frequent public transport options, to ease congestion on our roads and get people home to their families at the end of the day,” he said.

Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg during a visit to the Brisbane Metro station.

The 2024–25 MYEFO did reveal Brisbane Metro had been granted an extra $51.5m to help with “cost pressures” after a funding request was quietly made by council, also in August.

The original cost for the rollout of the M1 and M2 services was originally $1.244 billion but has ballooned to $1.55 billion, of which $351.5m is from the federal government with council stumping up the rest.

The spokesperson for Minister King said the extra money was “to address cost pressures and allow the project to be delivered in full”.

Brisbane Metro is set to begin its first permanent operations from January 28 when popular bus route 66 transitions to the “M2” service.

In the second quarter of 2025, Brisbane Metro will replace route 111 and 160 bus services, becoming the permanent “M1” service.

Originally published as $50m grey cloud hanging over Brisbane Metro just weeks before opening