Transport in Brisbane

Transport in Brisbane, the capital and largest city of Queensland, Australia, is provided by road, rail, river, footpaths, bike paths, sea and air. The city has many ways for people to move around, making it easy to get from one place to another.

Transport is managed by the Queensland Government and the councils of the local government areas which make up the metropolitan area, including the Brisbane City Council. This helps make sure all the different parts of the city work together.

Most public transport services in Brisbane are coordinated by Translink. Train services are operated by Queensland Rail, through its City network system. Bus services are operated by both the Brisbane City Council's Transport for Brisbane subsidiary and private operators, using the road network as well as dedicated busways. Ferry services on the Brisbane River are operated by RiverCity Ferries.

The residential street network is managed by the Brisbane City Council and the connecting arterial road network is managed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. The Brisbane Airport Corporation manages Brisbane Airport, making it easy for people to travel in and out of the city by air.

Walking

Brisbane has a special network called the Brisbane Riverwalk that runs along the river near the city center. The longest part goes between Newstead and Toowong, and another nice part is under the Kangaroo Point Cliffs between South Brisbane and Kangaroo Point. Some parts of the Riverwalk are built right over the river.

Cycling

Brisbane is building many special paths just for bicycles. The South-East Bikeway runs next to the South East Freeway and connects to the Goodwill Bridge at South Bank. From there, you can ride under the Riverside Expressway on the Bicentennial Bikeway along the Brisbane River to Toowong.

Bicycles can be carried on CityCats boats, and many stops have places to lock your bike. You are allowed to ride bikes on Queensland Rail's Citytrain network at any time, but riding on QR property is not allowed.

There used to be a bike hire service called CityCycle, but it is no longer available. Lime scooters were introduced in November 2018 as a trial.

Public transport

Main article: Translink (Queensland)

Brisbane has many ways to get around using trains, buses, ferries, and taxis. There used to be trams and trolleybuses, but they closed in 1969 and were replaced by buses.

Translink is part of the Department of Transport and Main Roads. It helps plan and organize public transport across Brisbane and all of Queensland. Translink works with train, bus, and ferry companies to make sure everyone can travel easily. Fares are the same no matter how far you go or which service you use. In 2006, Translink started using go cards, and in 2020, people could also pay using contactless cards.

Trains in Brisbane are run by Queensland Rail. Ferries are operated by RiverCity Ferries. Private companies run many of the bus services outside the main city area.

In 2017, about 8% of trips in Brisbane used public transport. The system is getting better with new stations, special bus roads, and more buses. But it is still not as busy as it was in the 1940s when trams carried lots of people every day.

The central part of the city, called the CBD, is where all the trains, buses, and ferries meet. There are big stations and stops at places like Central, Roma Street, and South Bank for trains; Cultural Centre, King George Square, and Queen Street for buses; and North Quay, Riverside, and QUT Gardens Point for ferries.

There are also smaller spots where you can change from one type of transport to another, like at shopping malls.

In December 2005, Translink started night services on Fridays and Saturdays called NightLink. These bus routes start with the letter N and sometimes have security guards on board. Some train lines also run late at night.

Trains

Main articles: Queensland Rail and Railways in South East Queensland

Queensland Rail runs trains on 13 different lines with 152 stations. These lines go to places like the Airport, Beenleigh, Caboolture, Cleveland, Doomben, Ferny Grove, Ipswich/Rosewood, Redcliffe Peninsula, Shorncliffe, and Springfield. Some lines also go to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The Airtrain runs on the Airport line between the City of Brisbane and Brisbane Airport.

The train network has many stations but not as many people use it as in other big cities like Melbourne or Sydney. In 2018–19, about 55 million people rode the trains. The pandemic in 2020 made fewer people travel, and many trains ran almost empty.

Train services started in 1865 and have been growing ever since. The electric trains started working between 1979 and 1988. A big project called Cross River Rail is building a new tunnel under the Brisbane River. It will connect two new stations in the CBD and Woolloongabba and should be finished in 2025.

Buses

Main articles: Transport for Brisbane and Busways in Brisbane

Brisbane has over 400 bus routes and more than 10,000 bus stops. There is a special bus system called the Busway that helps buses get to the city faster. The main bus stops are at King George Square and Queen Street.

Most city buses are run by the Brisbane City Council and are part of the Translink system. Translink decides the times and prices for all buses. Some buses in the outer areas are run by private companies.

Buses usually run from early morning until midnight every day. On some nights during the week, buses run all night. There are also special express buses that skip many stops.

The Brisbane Metro started in 2025 with two routes connecting outer suburbs to the CBD. The CityGlider buses have special routes in the inner city with buses that stop only at certain places. There are also free bus loops in the CBD and Spring Hill.

Ferries

Main article: RiverCity Ferries

Brisbane’s ferries, especially the fast CityCats, are a well-known part of the city.

CityCat ferries go from UQ St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton, stopping at many places along the way. Not all ferries stop at every place, especially during busy times.

KittyCat ferries go across the river between places like Bulimba and Teneriffe, Sydney Street and Dockside, Holman Street and Riverside, and the Maritime Museum and QUT Gardens Point.

Taxis

There are three taxi companies in Brisbane: Yellow Cabs, Black and White Cabs, and 13cabs. They all use the same prices set by the Queensland government. You can get taxis anywhere in Brisbane, and they can pick you up or you can book them in advance. They have special bigger taxis for up to 10 people and some for people who need help getting around. They also have nice cars for special trips. All taxis now have GPS and can take credit or debit cards.

Statistics

According to data from Moovit in July 2017, people in Brisbane and South East QLD spend about 68 minutes each day using public transport to get to work. About 22.6 percent of people spend more than 2 hours every day on public transport. People usually wait about 13 minutes for a bus, train, or ferry, but 18.7 percent wait more than 20 minutes. Most trips are about 9 kilometers long, and 20 percent of people travel more than 12 kilometers in one trip.

Private transport

Main article: Road transport in Brisbane

Brisbane's roads were designed for big, open areas, but now many neighborhoods are crowded and depend on a few main roads to connect to the city center and other parts of town. This has caused a lot of traffic jams. Plans for new underground roads, called TransApex, were promised by a former city leader to help solve this problem.

There are special roads meant to keep traffic moving, like the Inner City Bypass and the Clem Jones Tunnel, which help cars avoid busy city streets. Fast highways such as the Western Freeway and Pacific Motorway link Brisbane to other cities. The city has many bridges over the Brisbane River, including the Story Bridge and the Captain Cook Bridge, which help people and cars cross the water.

Airports

Brisbane Airport, run by the Brisbane Airport Corporation and found north-east of the city center, is the largest airport in Australia by land size. It is the third busiest airport in the country, after Sydney and Melbourne Airports. Brisbane Airport has separate areas for travel within Australia and for travel to other countries. It offers many flights to all major cities in Australia and to places in Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. Virgin Australia, Australia's second largest airline, has its main office in Brisbane. Other big airlines like Qantas and Jetstar also fly from Brisbane Airport.

The Airport railway line connects the travel areas at Brisbane Airport to the city. It takes about 20 minutes to travel from Central station to the airport stations by train.

Archerfield Airport, located in the southern part of Brisbane, serves small planes and private flights. There are also smaller airports in Caboolture and Redcliffe.

Seaports

The Port of Brisbane is located along the lower part of the Brisbane River and on Fisherman Island at the river’s mouth. It is one of Australia’s most important ports for moving goods. Major exports from the port include container freight, sugar, grain, coal, and bulk liquids. Many of the port’s facilities are fairly new, with some built on land that was once mangroves and wetlands. In the past, the port’s facilities were much closer to the city center.

The area around the river’s mouth, which includes the port, airport, and refineries, is called the Australia TradeCoast. Cruise ships can dock at an international terminal in Luggage Point in Pinkenba.

History

Main articles: Trolleybuses in Brisbane and Trams in Brisbane

Brisbane once had a network of trolleybuses and trams, but these closed in 1969. They were replaced by more buses.

Early bus services began in the 1920s but were difficult because of poor roads and mechanical problems. Permanent bus services started in 1940 to help the tram system. In 1947, some tram lines closed, and diesel buses took their place. Later, trolleybuses began running in 1951.

Plans to bring trolleybuses to the University of Queensland were stopped because local people did not want them. Instead, trolleybuses started running from Herston to East Brisbane in 1952. More trolleybus routes were added in the following years.

Many new buses were bought quickly to replace the trams, but they had problems at first. Older buses were kept longer because of these issues. In 1975, money was offered to buy new buses, but it was used for other building projects instead. Later, in 1976, new Volvo buses were bought.

As time went on, fewer people used the bus services. This was because of higher costs and older buses. The city's plans at the time encouraged car use instead of public transport, which also made it harder for bus services to attract passengers. By the 1980s, the number of people using buses stopped falling, but costs were still higher than the money made from tickets.

Development

As more people move to Brisbane, the transport system needs to grow too. The State Government and the Brisbane City Council are working on new plans and giving more money for transport projects. One big plan is the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program. They are focusing on building more roads, like tunnels and bypasses, and making public transport better. New ways to travel, like the Brisbane Metro, are being added. They are also making it easier to use trains with the Cross River Rail project.