Brisbane’s LNP City Council has sensationally admitted that a promised review of the Northside’s bus network now will not commence until the Metro expansion to Carseldine.
Two weeks ago, it the Brisbane Labor Opposition revealed that Council had not progressed the business case for the Metro expansions to Carseldine, Springwood, Capalaba, and the Airport, despite receiving $50 million in funding from the federal government 12 months prior.
The contract will be tendered in June this year, and will take 2 years to complete, meaning that construction of four new Metro routes will not begin until 2028.
Council’s own ‘Race to Gold” strategy document claims the business case would be complete by mid-June 2026, and the new Metro services will be online by 2031.
Responding to questions from the Labor Opposition on Tuesday, Acting Public Transport chair Steven Toomey said that there is now no Northside Bus Review planned, despite initially agreeing to one as part of a bus contract signed with the former state Labor government in 2024.
The Brisbane Labor Opposition then released a statement stating that Council had broken a promise made with the state government and Northside commuters.
Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy said that the “wheels are falling off Adrian Schrinner’s transport legacy for Brisbane.”
“Just last fortnight we learned that the expansion of Brisbane Metro will not be ready before the Olympics because he sat on $50 million from the federal government for 12 months.”
“Today, we learned that a review of Northside bus services will now not occur, breaking their promise with the state government and the people of Brisbane.”
A spokesperson for the Lord Mayor’s office said that the contract that the Council Opposition was referring to was since superseded after the election of the LNP state government, with a cap on bus funding for two years. This means that no new bus services can be delivered without removing a service from somewhere else.
“The existing agreement doesn’t include a deadline for a review; however, a review will be undertaken on the northside in conjunction with the expansion of Brisbane Metro, which has been identified in the State Government’s 2032 delivery plan.”
However, Cr. Cassidy fired back by highlighting that there is a clear priority list of infrastructure projects for the state government, and the expansion of Brisbane Metro is not included.
“This is a very poor excuse for not having a backbone and demanding better bus services.”
“The LNP Council have admitted that the LNP State Government did not provide enough funding in the bus contract for increased suburban services on the Northside of Brisbane.”
“What an absolutely stunning admission. How can the Lord Mayor of Brisbane sit in the back of a chauffeur-driven car and think congestion will sort itself out?”
The three Olympic transport projects the State and Commonwealth have prioritised for delivery are Gold Coast faster rail, Sunshine Coast Rail and Bruce Highway upgrade to the Sunshine Coast.
