Services will begin running through Brisbane’s new Adelaide Street bus and Metro tunnel in just four weeks, but the public will have an opportunity to step inside before the first vehicles arrive.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has described the 213-metre underground link as the “biggest boost to underground infrastructure we’ve seen since the Queen Street bus station”, built for Expo ’88. He said the new tunnel would ease pressure on the existing station, which currently handles much of the city’s bus traffic.

“Delays in the network hold people up, and they make public transport less attractive for people to use,” Cr Schrinner said.
“This tunnel will allow us to increase frequency and reliability across the Metro system.”

Once open, the tunnel will cater for more than 1400 bus and Metro trips each weekday. Brisbane City Council says this will reduce congestion in the CBD and create space for more services. Metro frequency, currently every five minutes, could eventually increase to four minutes, and later three, depending on passenger demand and fleet availability.

The project, first proposed by former lord mayor Graham Quirk in 2016, forms a key part of the wider Brisbane Metro network. More than 1000 outbound bus trips per week will be diverted into the tunnel, reducing traffic on George and Turbot streets.

The tunnel will connect North Quay and King George Square station, linking the Inner Northern and South East busways. Routes scheduled to use it include the M1, M2, 222, 333, 444, S744, and the 61 southbound service, along with the 330, 450, 453, 454 and 460 northbound routes.

Before services begin on September 29, residents will have the chance to walk through the underground corridor during a community open day on Wednesday, September 24. Seven sessions will run between 10.30am and 2pm, featuring live performances from the Paradiso Strings ensemble. Registration is essential.

Joel Miller, from construction company Acciona, said the shallow soil conditions and the need to maintain utilities for nearby businesses made the build particularly challenging. Excavators were used instead of a boring machine, further adding to the project’s complexity.

Ten weekends of safety testing, including heat and smoke system checks, were completed in August.

Since the launch of electric Metro services last year, more than 3.4 million trips have been taken on the new fleet, which replaced several bus routes including the 66, 111 and 160.