A major inner-city infrastructure project has reached a new milestone, with weekend testing now underway for the Adelaide Street tunnel, part of Brisbane’s emerging Bus Rapid Transit system.
Spanning 225 metres beneath Adelaide Street, the new underground link will ultimately connect the South East Busway to the Inner Northern Busway, forming a continuous corridor through Brisbane’s city centre. The tunnel is expected to carry more than 1,390 buses and Bus Rapid Transit vehicles each day once operational later this year.
Key benefits of the new corridor include reduced congestion at street level and improved reliability for high-frequency services running through the CBD.
The live testing program, which began this month, will occur over ten consecutive weekends and involves up to 70 technical staff carrying out commissioning works. These include activation of smart transport systems, testing of tunnel lighting and ventilation, and integration of public announcements with the existing network.
The tunnel is being tested under 70 different operational scenarios to validate all systems, sensors and safety protocols ahead of public use.
During the works, temporary weekend closures will affect several key busway stations:
- Queen Street
- City Hall / King George Square
- Roma Street
From Friday evening to early Monday morning, services that typically use the inner-city busway will be detoured via surface streets, and replacement buses will operate in place of the new Bus Rapid Transit vehicles.
Some scheduled services may run up to six minutes earlier or later during this period, with updated journey times provided on the Translink website and Journey Planner.
Public access inside affected stations will also be restricted. The Ezymart located inside City Hall/King George Square will remain closed during the weekend testing period.
Council staff and signage will be on-site to assist passengers in navigating the temporary changes.
Tunnel Specifications:
- Length: 225 metres
- Height: 8–10 metres
- Width: 16–20 metres
- Depth below surface: 3–6 metres
- One 3.5 metre-wide lane in each direction
Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport Ryan Murphy said the tunnel’s commissioning marks a significant step forward in modernising Brisbane’s public transport backbone.
For the first time, buses will drive through the new tunnel, putting this infrastructure to the test,” Cr Murphy said.
By moving over 1390 services underground daily, we’re easing CBD congestion and freeing up city streets for other uses.
These tests are complex and critical as we make sure every system is ready for passengers. We thank commuters for their patience during this important phase.”
The tunnel is the most complex engineering component of the broader Bus Rapid Transit initiative, designed to upgrade the efficiency of Brisbane’s existing high-capacity busway network.
