More than 200 business leaders from local and international companies attended a briefing to learn more about the construction and employment opportunities expected from the $944 Brisbane Metro Project.
Brisbane City Council Acting Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the briefing at City Hall would outline key milestones and opportunities and the council’s contracting model.
“We are gearing up to start procurement for the Brisbane Metro project that will cut travel times, unlock bus congestion in the CBD and improve services to the suburbs,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Brisbane Metro services will commence in 2023 and will revolutionise the way we travel, getting residents home up to 50 per cent faster on a high-frequency service, reducing bus congestion in inner-city streets and ensuring our city continues to thrive as a great place to live, work and relax.
“Following the briefing, council will commence the Expression of Interest phase for the main Inner City Infrastructure package including a new underground station at the Cultural Centre precinct and a new tunnel beneath Adelaide Street, as well as commencing an international Registration of Interest process for the fleet of 60 high-capacity Metro Vehicles.”
Cr Schrinner said the briefing would provide local, national and international firms with the opportunity to start thinking about the skilled teams and innovation they could bring to the project and kickstart the delivery process of significant new infrastructure.
Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said the Federal Government was investing $300 million in the transformative Brisbane Metro project as part of its record $75 billion investment in key infrastructure.
“We are investing more than $20 billion in Queensland infrastructure which is possible because of a stronger economy,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Whether it’s a tradie able to get to four jobs in a day instead of three, or a parent trying to drop the kids off at school on time, we want to ensure people are spending less time stuck in traffic and more time doing the things they’d rather be doing.”
Federal Member for Brisbane Trevor Evans said the project had been assessed as a High Priority project of national significance by the federal government’s independent advisor, Infrastructure Australia, in its 2018 Infrastructure Priority List.
“With two metro lines operating every three minutes in peak periods, Brisbane Metro will deliver a network of turn-up-and-go services linking the suburbs with the inner city and fixing major bottlenecks in the inner city that cause daily congestion,” Mr Evans said.
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