With Sydney’s Metro opening yesterday, debate has once again sparked as to whether “Brisbane Metro” is the right name for the city’s new transport system.
With stage one due to be rolled out in October, concerns are growing over the name “Brisbane Metro” because it may confuse visitors when they realise it’s not an underground train.
By definition, a metro is an underground railway system in a city, particularly successful in Paris and now operational in Sydney. Council’s plans for Brisbane’s Metro doesn’t quite fit the bill. It’s been described as a high-frequency bus rapid transit system, consisting of two routes that will run through the Brisbane CBD every five minutes during peak times. More like a busway.
Brisbane’s RAIL-Back on Track group are continuing to campaign for Brisbane Metro to be called BERT – which stands for “Bus Electric Rapid Transit”. The group says the proposed name is more accurate and will help avoid global embarrassment once it’s rolled out, especially with Brisbane due to host thousands of international visitors for the the 2032 Olympics.
A number of social media users shared their sentiments.
With details of Brisbane Metro’s full roll-out still to come, the true test will be feedback from users once it’s operational.
