Why critics are wrong to call Brisbane Metro a ‘glorified bus line’: Professor Matthew Burke

An expert says the new Brisbane Metro can put the River City on the right track for the next 20 years and at a fraction cost of similar projects in Sydney and Melbourne.

• Mapped: Brisbane Metro expansion

Critics have labelled it a glorified bus line but a top transport expert says the new Brisbane Metro will put the River City on the right track for the next 20 years.

Griffith University transport planner Professor Matthew Burke says Brisbane does not need a multibillion dollar metro system like those being built in the likes of Sydney and Melbourne.

He says the Brisbane Metro is “a great solution” which is being rolled out at a fraction of the cost of other mass people movers.

The $1.4bn Brisbane Metro is due to start services in October.

The system will use 60 Swiss-made, full electric buses to replace traditional buses on initial routes from Eight Mile Plains to Roma St and from the University of Queensland to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

An extended network would see the metro vehicles picking up and dropping off passengers at 22 new stations at locations between Springwood and Brisbane Airport.

A detailed plan to keep Brisbane moving and deliver a long-term transport legacy beyond the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Picture: Brisbane City Council

The NSW government is building the $21bn Sydney Metro, Australia’s largest public transport project involving four lines and 113 km of track, while the Victorian government is developing a $14bn metro system as well as investing almost $2bn in next generation trams.

But Prof Burke said despite rapid growth, increasing traffic snarls and the 2032 Olympics, Brisbane did not need to spend billions on a metro system.

He said the city and SEQ were “blessed with plenty of rail”, with more than 660 km of track and 200-plus stations across the network.

“We’re fixing up all the mess on the southside with Cross River Rail,” he said.

“This (Brisbane Metro) will get us (through) the next 20 years and after that, we’re probably looking at other augmentations.”

Prof Burke, who is deputy director of Griffith’s Cities Research Institute, said he had ridden similar electric buses overseas and Brisbane commuters were in for a treat.

“The noise disappears - these are not the dirty diesel or natural gas buses that we’re currently operating,” he said.

“You can sit on this vehicle and you can talk to your neighbour. It’s quiet, it’s pleasant ... it’s like being on a train in that regard, but with less sway.

Brisbane Metro expansion picture. Picture: Brisbane City Council

“It’s a little bit bumpy like the Gold Coast light rail is. It operates more like a tram than it does one of the glorious $10bn metro lines like we’re building around the world, including in Sydney, but it’s done at a tenth of a price.

“Compared to the expensive light rail solutions that were originally envisaged, we’re getting the benefit of what light-rail would have given without those (extra) costs like a second bridge over the river.

“It’s a pretty elegant solution. God bless the planners involved in the project.”

Prof Burke said the only “giant red flag” with the Brisbane Metro was that the planned extension to the airport before the 2032 Olympics would not happen unless the Airtain’s exclusive contract on the route was torn up.

Airtrain owners Britain’s Universities Superannuation Scheme currently hold a monopoly on public transport services to and from the airport as part of a controversial deal believed to be worth more than $100m and which prevents Brisbane City Council or TransLink from running services to the terminals until 2036.

The Miles government has been under sustained pressure, including from Canberra, to find a way to unpick the 35-year contract amid grave concerns that the monopoly will leave Brisbane short of suitable airport transport options for the Games.

Originally published as Why critics are wrong to call Brisbane Metro a ‘glorified bus line’: Professor Matthew Burke