Brisbane: Bus Electric Rapid Transit (' Brisbane Metro ')

[burgo]

A flashy video, that's for sure. They mention trunk service, but the regular punter wont know the consequences of this. I saw several Facebook commenters asking "what about my suburb' without realising that their services may improve as more busses are allocated to suburb feeder services.

[Paul B]

"people dont like to transfer"
"people will instead drive all the way to work"
Wonder if BCC will be prepared when the metro arrives? Will Toombul interchange finally run a high frequency route? or will they just be reactive like with the Busway opening / delay for the 66 ?
maybe if things are kept/made deliberately slow/ineffective, people will disperse and find better options?

[SurfRail]

150 passengers is much too light for what they are proposing - something like half of what comparably long vehicles should be achieving.  150 is really no more than what normal articulated buses should be carrying.

I found it interesting that the 9000 Series Socimi trams I was riding in Rome recently, while significantly shorter than the Gold Coast's Flexity 2s, stated they had a higher max loading capacity (it was still 300-and-something, just can't recall what).

[ozbob]

The BCC Labor opposition is destined for a long time as the opposition I am afraid ..

Couriermail --> Brisbane Metro a 'back of the envelope plan' says Labor

BRISBANE Metro is a "back of the envelope" plan and walkers are "frying" on footpaths, say opposition councillors.

Debate on Brisbane City Council's public and active transport spend for the year got feisty today as councillors fired up over how residents moved around the city.

Opposition leader Jared Cassidy said despite the council readying to take Brisbane Metro to market, it still did not have the state-owned land or state approvals required for the project.

He said the council had already "torched" its promise to build a Paris-style underground metro on rails due to poor planning but the council was still not doing its due diligence.

"There is no land for a new busway station. No approvals from the State Government have been given, funding is on a drip feed and there isn't even any vehicle to deliver the claimed service figures," he said.

"It's this kind of back of the envelope planning that caused the years of delays after the first ill-thought out project was scrapped."

Greens Cr Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) called for more trees to shade pedestrians on main roads and insisted there should be funds for the purpose in the public transport budget.

He later told Quest Community News that planting trees on main road footpaths was avoided because of the difficulties of navigating thick concrete and services like sewage pipes.

"Sadly, in many parts of the city, residents are drowning in bitumen and frying under the midday sun," he said.

He insisted shading footpaths on key arterial roads could have benefits by making walking a more pleasant commuting option.

His biggest gripe was the way the council was building bus lanes and bikeways — big enough that he voted against the program despite millions for bikeways in his own ward.

Cr Sri said Kangaroo Point bikeway cost $6000 per metre but the council would save money and shade trees if it decided to remove the parking spaces instead of the trees.

He said the public transport budget would go further if the council was willing to remove street parking and repurpose general traffic lanes to make way for busways and bikeways.

"The achingly slow transition to public and active transport is costing this administration far more than it needs to," he said.

Public and Active Transport Chairman Adrian Schrinner called the debate "interesting but sadly predictable", with one exception from Cr Sri "who's never predictable".

He said there were two "critical" projects for the city, Brisbane Metro and Cross River Rail.

"We're excited to see the progress that is being made on Cross River Rail and ... we are looking forward to continued co-operation from the State Government on Brisbane Metro."

"We're getting on with moving into that delivery phase. Brisbane Metro is leaving the station, it is time for all of us to get on board.

"It is time to end the political pettiness, the comments that are intended for nothing other than political gain, and get on board."

Cr Schrinner ran out of time to respond to Cr Sri but told Quest Community News it was challenging to gain community support when those general ideas became actual projects.

"Unlike Cr Sri, the Quirk Administration doesn't just talk about public and active transport, we are getting on with delivering our election commitments to the people of Brisbane," he said.

He said the Brisbane Metro, Woolloongabba Bikeway and the Kangaroo Point Bikeway all involved careful and targeted removal of some parking and general traffic lanes.

"Our approach to these issues is practical rather than ideological," he said.

Cr Schrinner said street trees made a "huge contribution to the liveability and walkability" of Brisbane and there were around 575,000 in Brisbane.

About 10,000 will be planted this year, he said, with many community street tree planting days across the city each year.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1009465656222216192

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1009466857907105792

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/jackietrad/status/871862688200089600

^

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1009535380507451392

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1009536630032437248

[ozbob]

It is time that Cr Cassidy and Cr Cumming got on board with the Brisbane Metro.  The project has been evaluated by IA and stacks up.

The only real concern is the proposed passenger capacity of vehicles.  I have corresponded with the DM on this and he is aware of our concerns.  I am very confident that once they get to evaluating proposals for the bi-artics it will be become clear that 150 is not optimal and higher capacity bi-artics are easily achieved, for the same cost as 150 pax capacity.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/1009902083321937920

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/1017553196909129728

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> The search for the best company to build Brisbane Metro opens

Hundreds of business leaders are in Brisbane to hear more about the $944 Brisbane Metro before bidding to build the underground stations, tunnels and vehicles for the project.

On Wednesday, a special industry briefing will be held for the representatives of the local and international companies and, after this, the expression of interest will open.

Acting mayor Adrian Schrinner will address the briefing along with Federal Urban Infrastructure and Cities Minister Paul Fletcher.

Cr Schrinner said the briefing would outline the Brisbane Metro's key milestones and opportunities before the launch of the procurement for the project.

"This briefing will provide local, national and international firms with the opportunity to start thinking about the skilled teams and innovation they could bring to the Brisbane Metro and kick-start the delivery process of significant new infrastructure and a fleet of up to 60 metro vehicles," he said.

The council will be looking for companies to build the main infrastructure for the project, including the $315 million underground station at the Cultural Centre, a tunnel beneath Adelaide Street and the fleet of 60 vehicles.

Previously, lord mayor Graham Quirk said the global search was required as metro vehicles were not currently constructed in Brisbane.

"Where possible we will be seeking Brisbane partners or Australian partners but we will be going international on this because it is a project of significance where vehicles currently of this sort are only constructed overseas," he said.

"Where we've got an equal footing obviously Brisbane companies will come first."

The council will be seeking someone who can supply 60 vehicles that can carry up to 150 people, be up to 25 metres in length and that can operate on the existing busway.

The tender for the works is expected to be awarded by the end of 2019.

[Cazza]

^I think we all wished it came with a $944 price tag

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RuthMcCosker/status/1021892550045487104

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1021866143340888064

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Team_Quirk/status/1021897398862237696

[ozbob]

25th July 2018

https://www.paulfletcher.com.au/media-releases/joint-media-statement-brisbane-metro-briefing-to-outline-business-opportunities

Joint Media Statement: Brisbane Metro briefing to outline business opportunities

Construction of the Brisbane Metro is a step closer with more than 200 business leaders from local and international companies expected to attend a special industry briefing today (Wed 25th) to hear about the construction and employment opportunities expected from the $944 million project.

Acting Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who will address the briefing along with Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher, said the specially convened briefing at City Hall would outline key milestones and opportunities and Council's contracting model.

"We are gearing up to start procurement for the Brisbane Metro project that will cut travel times, unlock bus congestion in the CBD and improve services to the suburbs," Acting Mayor Schrinner said.

"Brisbane Metro services will commence in 2023 and will revolutionise the way we travel, getting residents home up to 50 per cent faster on a high-frequency service, reducing bus congestion in inner-city streets and ensuring our city continues to thrive as a great place to live, work and relax.

"This briefing will provide local, national and international firms with the opportunity to start thinking about the skilled teams and innovation they could bring to the Brisbane Metro and kick start the delivery process of significant new infrastructure and a fleet of up to 60 Metro vehicles.

"Following the briefing, Council will commence the Expression of Interest phase for the main Inner City Infrastructure package including a new underground station at the Cultural Centre precinct and a new tunnel beneath Adelaide Street, as well as commencing an international Registration of Interest process for the fleet of 60 high-capacity Metro Vehicles."

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said the Turnbull Government was investing $300 million in the transformative Brisbane Metro project as part of its record $75 billion investment in key infrastructure.

"This project is a great example of how the Turnbull Government is investing in vital infrastructure designed to make our cities more liveable," Mr Fletcher said.

"We are investing more than $20 billion in Queensland infrastructure which is possible because of a stronger economy.

"Whether it's a tradie able to get to four jobs in a day instead of three, or a parent trying to drop the kids off at school on time, we want to ensure people are spending less time stuck in traffic and more time doing the things they'd rather be doing."

Federal Member for Brisbane Trevor Evans said the project had been assessed as a High Priority project of national significance by the federal government's independent advisor, Infrastructure Australia, in its 2018 Infrastructure Priority List.

"With two metro lines operating every three minutes in peak periods, Brisbane Metro will deliver a network of turn-up-and-go services linking the suburbs with the inner city and fixing major bottlenecks in the inner city that cause daily congestion," Mr Evans said.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said the Brisbane Metro would deliver a high-frequency metro network across 21 kilometres of existing busway linking the Eight Mile Plains, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and University of Queensland Lakes busway stations and all stations in between.

"This congestion-busting project is great news for our community and shows the Turnbull Government is planning for and investing in the future of our city," Mr Vasta said.

[paulg]

It is good to see this moving forward.
I was very disappointed to see in the Draft Design Report that there is no plan for interconnection of South Brisbane Station with the new Cultural Centre Metro Station behind the barriers (i.e. to change form Metro to train you will need to walk out of the station and into the railway station next door). That is crazy. No other major city would consider building what BCC is claiming will be the most important station in the network with no interconnection with an adjacent station. Ridiculous. I did submit that feedback during consultation but not sure if anyone will listen.
I think it is very important that the planning for the new bus network gets underway too, the success of the Metro will hinge to a large extent on how they re-route existing bus services and encourage interchanging.
Another missed opportunity I believe is the lack of interchange at Wooloongabba. They could have proposed a reconfigured Wooloongabba station as part of the precinct redevelopment, allowing the Metro to interchange with CRR (converting Wooloongabba station to an in-line station on the main SE Busway alignment).

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes -->$315 million Brisbane station upgrade must 'wow people' and be 'impressive'

The $315 million upgrade of Queensland's busiest public transport station should not simply be functional and bland, but rather an impressive statement piece, a conference has heard.

Brisbane City Council's public and active transport chairman Adrian Schrinner was part of an industry briefing for the Brisbane Metro on Wednesday, which was attended by more than 200 leaders from local and international companies.

The expression of interest for several parts of the $944 million project are now open, including for the construction of the underground station at the Cultural Centre, which is estimated to cost about 33 per cent of the total cost of the project, or $315 million.

"This project needs your innovation and needs your input," Cr Schrinner told the industry briefing.

"We have obviously got a concept design which has been released ... but I have no doubt the final product for Metro will change again."

Cr Schrinner said the overall project would likely change following input from the businesses, but stressed the importance of putting forward ideas for the station upgrade that would "wow people".

"It has to be more than an engineering project," he said.

"The Cultural Centre station, the new underground Metro station that we want to build through this project is the busiest public transport station in Queensland.

"We believe it's more important than Central Station, more important than Roma Street station, this is the busiest hub in the network.

"It has to be more than a functional station, it has to create a sense of arrival.

"We need that station to have a bucket load of public art and impressive features ... we want this to be a true statement of this city.

"A bland station that does the job from a technical point of view is not going to be enough."

Opposition transport spokesman Jared Cassidy said a $315 million station and a billion-dollar busway extension was an enormous amount of money.

"We don't even know if this is the best option," he said.

"We know council considered over 20 options but they never released the options analysis, they've only told us what they think is the best option without explaining to people if there were other cheaper options.

"We think this is more a statement piece than the best outcome for this city."

Cr Schrinner encouraged Brisbane companies to partner with international companies to be part of delivering the metro project.

Cr Cassidy said Labor would like to see a guarantee that Brisbane companies would be given preference for the work.

The two main packages now open for tender are for the inner-city construction and the vehicles.

The package for the depot at Rochedale and a package for suburban station upgrades will be put to market at a later date.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/1022032403924242432

[300LA]

Brisbanetimes -->$315 million Brisbane station upgrade must 'wow people' and be 'impressive'

"We believe it's more important than Central Station, more important than Roma Street station, this is the busiest hub in the network.

I find this to be rather interesting. The fact that a 2 lane Busway station (Cultural Centre) is busier than a 4 track Railway station (Central)
There are a lot of similarities between the two:
1- Both are located on the fringe of the cbd.
2- Both are the main station in their respective networks.
3- Both are preceeded by *atleast* a few stations which would be considered destination stops, and would reduce pax at the main station:
    - South Bank & Mater
    - Fortitude & Bowen Hills
    - Roma & Milton/Toowong
4a- Theoritical Pax throughput on the Busway
300 bus/hr @ 60 pax = 18000pphpd
4b- Theoretical pax throughput on the Railway
(20+24) trains/hr @ 750 pax = 33000pphpd

And yet the busway supposedly has a higher usage?

Is this a sign of
(a) busway over utilised,
(b) rail under utilised,
(c) potentially (a) at the expenses of (b),
(d) perhaps a biased comparisson.
I.e. if only gocard taps counted. Every bus trip and bus interchange would be counted, and exhaserbated by many routes terminating at CC. Yet Central figures would only count boarding/alighting and not transfers).

I haven't had a chance to interrogate the route data on the other thread. Maybe I'll find some answers in there. I just find this interesting food for thought.

[SurfRail]

I'm convinced that little quip is absolutely wrong.  Central would be streets ahead, and Roma St probably would be too if you included buses.  Last time I remember looking into it Cultural Centre is somewhere in the top 5.

[aldonius]

Perhaps by "busiest" he's referring to number of vehicles though it. Which is a bit of a bogus stat, of course the busway will have more vehicles.

[matlock]

Cultural would be busier for interchanging, but Roma Street and South Bank would both be busier at certain hours due to students from nearby state and private schools.

I think Cultural Centre's strength is as an interchange point. I catch the 116 to CC then change to the 199 in my morning commute, because that's the earliest 'interchange point' between the two services. The 199, the 60 and the 66 probably are responsible for a huge portion of peak hour interchanges.

[SurfRail]

Part of it is poor network topology though.  I don't see any good reason for sending buses coming from Roma St busway to the Cultural Centre in preference to say the southern CBD, or running any of the 400-series routes through there (particularly if you run all the 400-series through Roma St busway).

[James]

Re: Cultural Centre interchange, you would get a bunch of people transferring there to travel one stop, when walking is still a viable option, e.g. transfers at CC to West End and South Bank, or for switched on people looking to get closer to their final destination, e.g. Elizabeth St & Parliament v Adelaide St.

It also looks busy thanks to relatively narrow platforms and the nature of BRT meaning crowds never clear like they do on rail platforms.

[SurfRail]

^ Something which ironically is exacerbated by the number of single-seat trips to the CBD due to there being so many alignments through such a small town.  When working on Queen St I would frequently wait deliberately for an Elizabeth St bus because Eagle St at Riverside was just a short stroll through Eagle Lane to my office.  (These days I work in the Gold Tower and because the further south you go in the CBD the less useful any regular bus routes are, I use buses much less frequently than I once did in preference to walking only.)

[Aircooled]

Another glossy in the mail today, "to the householder". Expensive paper when a napkin would suffice?

Still very much in sales pitch mode, hawking up the benefits. Is that really necessary? It's going ahead regardless isn't it?

Says now it's fully funded (in bold). Phew that's good to know. Can't help wondering though, how is it these things get sold to the public when funding is an afterthought?

Then finally, "metro services are expected to commence operation in 2023"

Say what?

2023?? For a project that sits atop existing infrastructure?

All these benefits and reasons why we need this thing NOW, Schrinner tells us.., and it's 5 years before we can board one of these things?

5 years??  It's just a bus guys! That timeframe seems way off.

This is what happens when they talk up the benefits too much. It raises the bar in terms of urgency. To then say it's gonna be 5 years away... that's just being rude.

This thing needs to start services now. Simple sidings for platforms will do. Get people from A to B is what we need. Not hard! You can do the pretty stations any old time.

[red dragin]

Can't help wondering though, how is it these things get sold to the public when funding is an afterthought?

Because there was an election campaign on, the other side had an idea, so they had to have an idea.

Except the 'Metro' wasn't even designed on a napkin at a lunch. Probably on a post-it note whilst on the phone ordering more new busses on the State Gov credit card.

[Cazza]

I understand what you are saying about 5 years being too far away. However, this project is not just about buying new buses. It's about removing the bottleneck at both the Cultural Centre and William St (I still think they somehow could have made the connection between Victoria Bridge and INB seamless, without having to cross general traffic lanes but it still is a much needed improvement).

The construction of a new portal on Adelaide St and tunnel under Grey St aren't going to be built overnight. It does take time. I'm aware that patience is running out fast when it comes to PT in Brisbane (and for most people, they've already given up) but this timeline is almost unavoidable.

Yes, they should have implemented the bus reform 5 years ago, and yes, there are many, many more beneficial ways in which PT can be operated in this region, but for now when (this version of the) project that is (more or less) not just a political stunt, we should be supporting it.

[James]

A possible reason why the project might be taking a while could be the nature of the tunnelling - as it is close to the surface and short, boring is not an option, while cut-and-cover is not feasible for the entire project as it passes under Grey St, and more importantly, South Brisbane station. I believe there's a third technique which can be used which keeps the ground above stable - but it is time consuming and very expensive (and probably why a tunnel wasn't done in the first place here).

You also need to consider that construction will be on the go-slow as I imagine a design requirement would be the minimisation of impacts on existing bus services. This probably means only small sections can be completed at a time, with most work may only able to be done at night for as little as 5-6 hours at a time - whereas CRR can happen almost 24/7 for most of the site.

Yes, it may have been thought up of on the back of a napkin, but so was Labor's tram policy - welcome to politics. We should be thankful that overall, a sensible outcome has been reached, and push for bus network reform in the interim.

[ozbob]

... Yes, it may have been thought up of on the back of a napkin, but so was Labor's tram policy - welcome to politics. We should be thankful that overall, a sensible outcome has been reached, and push for bus network reform in the interim.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/1029265622096461824

[achiruel]

And yet, that bus jam could have been considerably reduced had this mob of incompetents introduced bus network reform in 2013. They really don't give sh*t about public transport, it's just window dressing to appease the residents/voters.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Team_Quirk/status/1030273040758788097

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Night work marks start of Brisbane Metro construction

Trenches are being dug at night and filled in again by sunrise as Brisbane City Council works to identify what is underground where they plan to build Brisbane Metro.

The council's public transport chairman, Adrian Schrinner, said the council was getting on with the early investigation work.

"On Adelaide Street, at night you will see work happening to dig trenches to test drill to determine exactly the conditions of the soil underneath the road, what underground services are in place," he said.

"We obviously have detailed plans and maps of the underground services on Adelaide Street, but invariably the testing is required because there are things under there that aren't on the official plans and we need to identify those early."

Early work is also happening at the Cultural Centre in South Brisbane where an underground station is proposed.

Cr Schrinner said the project was progressing far more quickly than most major public transport projects would progress.

"We've seen other projects talked about for more than a decade, even longer before they actually get going," he said.

"But Metro, within a relatively short period of time, is not only fully funded in terms of construction we are starting now the testing and the early works."

Expression of interest for the delivery of 60 metro vehicles closed on August 16, resulting in 14 expressions of interest.

Cr Schrinner said both local and international firms expressed strong interest.

"I must admit, 14 firms registering their interest was beyond my expectations," he said.

The expression of interest for the major inner-city infrastructure package will close Wednesday.

[red dragin]

A story I heard was a few years ago when the extension to the Convention Centre was being built. It's true cause I know the guy that got the "s**t boss, we've got a problem" phone call.

Plans showed the underground high voltage power line on the northern side of Grey St, whereas the building works where on the southern side.

A hole was dug with an excavator, which revealed a high voltage power line.
A bit of research showed that the power line was on the northern side of the street, until Grey St was realigned further north, which shifted the power line to the southern side of the roadway (although the actual cable never moved). Plans weren't updated. Luckily there was enough slack to pull through and join the two good bits together.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Brisbane Metro at risk of cost blowout

GRAHAM Quirk's Brisbane Metroproject is at high risk of a cost blowout, according to a council assessment of the Lord Mayor's signature public transport policy.

The $944 million Metro has long been touted by the LNP council as a solution to Brisbane's worsening traffic woes.

But a council assessment of the project reveals it faces a number of high risks while in procurement, including increased project delivery costs due to poor performance specifications as well as insufficient market interest or availability of resources.

The report also revealed there was a high risk the council would need to make significant changes to the project to meet approval and stakeholder needs.

The Metro vehicles were also at high risk of not being fit for purpose, according to the report.

Labor opposition councillors have seized on the findings, presented to the council at a special meeting in June, claiming it was unusual for a project of this size to have this type of risk profile.

Opposition transport spokesman Jared Cassidy described it as the most ridiculous public transport planning he had ever seen.

"The independent assessment of the project is that they really don't know what it's going to look like when it's done," he said.

"What the people of Brisbane are going to see in 2023 may bear no resemblance to what the Lord Mayor has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars telling people what it's going to look like."

The assessment lists a number of mitigation strategies to head off the challenges.

Council transport chairman Adrian Schrinner said the risks for Brisbane Metro were normal for such a "critical city-shaping project", pointing out that it was tipped to deliver a 237 per cent public benefit for every dollar invested.

"Council has very successfully delivered numerous large projects of the size and scale of Brisbane Metro and our major project teams are very experienced in effectively managing risk," he said.

"By identifying risks early and planning ahead, council is confident that all matters raised during the contracting plan process are manageable and are already being addressed."

Cr Schrinner said since the report came to council, early works to relocate high-risk services were under way and a multidisciplinary project team to manage procurement had been established.

The council this week announced 14 local and international firms had registered their interest to build the 60 Metro vehicles, while expressions of interest for other works will close today.

The federal government announced earlier this year it was committing money to the project, ensuring it will be fully funded.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Team_Quirk/status/1036834071257669632

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Team_Quirk/status/1036833008060268544

[burgo]

Has there been any indication that routes such at 169 will be scrapped? I've seen some discussion swirling on a UQ Facebook group with suggestions that it will be. What implications would arise if it were to be scrapped? Hundreds transferring from Metro 1 to Metro 2 at Mater Hill?

[verbatim9]

Has there been any indication that routes such at 169 will be scrapped? I've seen some discussion swirling on a UQ Facebook group with suggestions that it will be. What implications would arise if it were to be scrapped? Hundreds transferring from Metro 1 to Metro 2 at Mater Hill?

Sounds like it. What's going to be interesting is the transfer point at Griffith University? Hundreds of people from the CBD, UQ and Griffith Uni wanting to go down Mains Road and Pinelands Road. Maybe they will have the 130/140 starting its journey at Griffith University instead of the city to cater for demand? It's also going to take a lot of fine tuning to slot the buz services on the Busway with Metro vehicles every few mins during peak. The metro vehicles only seperate from regular buses from the Cultural  centre onwards unless there has been changes?

I think journey times to places like Sunnybank, Calamvale, Parkinson, Browns Plains and Logan Hyperdome may increase due to transfer times. There is the illusion that less congestion at the Cultural centre and Victoria Bridge will improve journey times? But this will be counteracted due to transfer and waiting times at other transfer points. (Griffith Unoversity).