Ministerial Statement: New services start from Inner Northern Busway on Monday

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Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
16/05/2008

New services start from Inner Northern Busway on Monday

It's six months ahead of schedule and on Monday the Queensland Government's $333 million Inner Northern Busway will officially open, offering more services and time savings for commuters.

Minister for Transport John Mickel said the busway would save commuters up to 20 minutes travel time in peak hours, while reducing traffic in the CBD.

"The INB is part of the Bligh Government's commitment to build tomorrow's Queensland today,'' he said.

"We are planning for future growth and this network is a vital connection between the existing section of the Inner Northern Busway and the popular South East Busway.

"The INB will take buses on to a dedicated public transport corridor, easing congestion and delivering time savings for commuters,'' he said.

Mr Mickel said as part of the project, TransLink would provide more than $5 million in new bus services in partnership with the Brisbane City Council, including three new routes.

Monday will also mark the start of an important restructure of bus stops from more than 120 bus routes in the CBD.

"Part of the reason for these changes is to locate bus services with similar destinations at the same stop or at adjacent stops," Mr Mickel said.

"This means passengers will have easier access to a broader range of services but as there will be some changes, I urge all bus users to check if their route is affected before travelling on Monday.

"The INB will run 250 buses in the morning peak hour and greatly improve the reliability and consistency of bus services in the city," Mr Mickel said.

Comprehensive information about the route and bus stop changes is available on the TransLink website or from TransLink staff.

The INB features an underground station at King George Square with air conditioned platforms and concourse level, 24 hour security with cameras, real time information for bus travellers, a fully functional cycle centre with racks, change facilities and lockers and a first-in-Australia interactive Transport Information Centre (TIC).

The construction of the INB includes environmental design features including the use of natural light and ventilation where possible and recycled water and water saving options throughout.

More than 33,000 cubic metres of clean fill and 50,000 cubic metres of weathered rock were removed during construction and over 31,000 cubic metres of concrete (8 truck loads of concrete every day for 22 months) was used.

May 16, 2008

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