Cross River Rail

A report titled the 2008 Inner City Rail Capacity Study predicted that the demand for Brisbane peak train services would double by 2016.[5] The Infrastructure Australia review of the current project highlighted that the 2011 business case projected the 2016 rail patronage – without Cross River Rail – as 374,000 passengers per day.[4] The Queensland Rail Annual Report for 2015–16 reports patronage of approximately 150,000 passengers per day for the Citytrain network in 2015–16.[6] Between Salisbury and Dutton Park the existing line is used by freight trains traveling to the Port of Brisbane and a terminal at Acacia Ridge, and the expected rise in the number of passengers services may interrupt freight services unless a new line is built. The Merivale Bridge is the only inner-city rail crossing in Brisbane, and by 2016 it was expected to be over capacity, leading the Queensland Government to plan for this project.[7]

The original plans for the project were released on 11 November 2010. The project included a 9.8-kilometre (6.1 mi) tunnel, two new surface stations as well as four new underground stations. Upgrades to Moorooka and Rocklea were also proposed. Underground stations were proposed to include retail facilities, and a maximum of 120,000 passengers were claimed to be able to be moved during the morning peak period.[8]

The city station was to be built under Albert Street,[7] with two entrances and allowing for trains up to 200 m in length.[9] Proposed stations at Woolloongabba and Exhibition were to be named The Gabba and The Ekka respectively.

Yeerongpilly was chosen as the southern portal because it had less impact on residents than a tunnel entrance at Fairfield.[10] An entrance there would allow trains on the Ipswich railway line to use the tunnel via the Tennyson railway line.[10] It also allowed the existing rail yards at Clapham to be used as stabling yards, negating the need to build a new storage depot for trains elsewhere.

In June 2012, the newly elected Newman Government announced plans for a scaled down version of the project estimated to cost $4.5 billion. The revised plan excluded upgrades to existing stations and extra above-ground train lines south or north of the new tunnel. The revised plan was expected to be completed by 2020. Thirty-nine commercial properties were to have been resumed for the project, including the Royal on the Park hotel[11] and another nine properties in the central business district.[9] One hundred and five residential properties at Yeerongpilly were to have been resumed for the expansion of the Yeerongpilly railway station.

In November 2013, the Queensland Government announced a revised plan for the BaT (Bus and Train) project as an alternative to the previous Cross River Rail proposal. The revised plan involved a 14.8m external diameter (13.5m internal diameter) 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi) tunnel to accommodate both a dual track rail line on the lower level and a two lane busway above. The cost was expected to be $5billion with construction proposed to start in 2015 and completion in 2021.[12][13] Citytrain patronage is quoted as having increased at an annual average of 3.4% between 2006 and 2012, compared to an average annual population increase of 2.4% over the same period, confirming forecasts that the Merivale Bridge will reach capacity some time between 2016 and 2021. However, this capacity constraint may be over pessimistic as doubt has been cast on the pre-2009 figures supplied by Queensland Rail due to double counting of patronage figures.[14]

Four new underground rail stations will be built, while Exhibition station will be expanded.[25]

Boggo Road in the inner-city suburb of Dutton Park will be a busy transport hub with a direct interchange available with the proposed Brisbane Metro. The station will provide direct pedestrian access to Princess Alexandra Hospital and is proposed that 134 trains will pass through the station during the morning peak.[26]

Woolloongabba will provide direct access to the Gabba Stadium and to the Mater health precinct.[27]

Albert Park will provide rail services to the southern part of the Brisbane CBD, providing direct access to the Parliament of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus.[28]

The Brisbane Transit Centre under demolition in May 2020

The new underground Roma Street station will be an extension of the existing ground-level station that will provide direct access to the existing bus and train network as well the proposed Brisbane Metro. Demolition of the Brisbane Transit Centre commenced in December 2019, with it to be relocated partially underground near the underground platform entrances.[17] A set of new high rise buildings will occupy the site.[29]

The existing Exhibition station in the suburb of Bowen Hills will undergo an extensive upgrade. The station currently only opens a few times a year, servicing special events such as the Brisbane Ekka held at the Brisbane Showgrounds. After the station is upgraded, it will open year-round with high-frequency services connecting the surrounding residential community.[30]