22 new stations from Springwood to Carseldine under bold expansion plan

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Transport Minister Bart Mellish said his department’s modelling showed the corridor north to Chermside and Carseldine was “the priority”.

“We are investing in the short and medium term work to support this,” Mellish said.

Schrinner said Brisbane must seize the opportunity to create a transport legacy after the 2032 Games.

“We will need to have mass transit by 2032,” Schrinner told ABC Radio Brisbane on Wednesday morning.

“Our idea is essentially: why not make it a permanent legacy rather than a temporary service?”

The estimated cost of the project expansion and timeline have yet to be confirmed.

Schrinner said the $450 million earmarked for a new metro bus station at Woolloongabba could be reallocated to fund the wider network expansion.

“Now that the plans for the Gabba are changing and it is no longer the (main) Olympic venue, we have had to reassess that space and the need for it,” he said.

During the Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the total number of public transport journeys increased by almost 1 million per day.

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Brisbane has grown faster than any other Australian capital city over the past 10 years, with another
It is expected that 1.55 million people will move to the city by 2041.

Areas such as Logan, Redland and Moreton Bay also faced significant growth pressure, with the south-east corner expected to be home to 6 million people by 2046.

Brisbane public transport advocate Robert Dow, who works with lobby group Rail Back on Track, supported the expansion plans but again called for the project to be renamed.

“Correct descriptions are important, ‘Brisbane Metro’ is bus rapid transit. Go to Sydney to see what a real metro is. BERT is good bus rapid transit, but let’s not pretend it’s something it’s not,” Dow said.

Logan City Council Mayor Jon Raven said the expansion plan was “huge” for his region.

“Rapid public transport from Springwood to Brisbane would be an absolute game changer for both our residents and our roads,” he said.

Map of Brisbane Metro network extensions

The dotted green line shows the extension to Carseldine, from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital via Kedron, Chermside and Aspley.

The dotted lines in pink and orange indicate where services to the airport are being expanded via the DFO.

The purple dotted line indicates where the metro lines to Capalaba terminate, via Camp Hill, Carina and Carindale.

And the dotted blue line shows an extension from Eight Mile Plains to Rochdale and Springwood.