Cross River Rail transforms Brisbane's public transport capacity ahead of 2032 Olympics

Cross River Rail, Queensland's most significant public transport project in the state's history, is transforming Brisbane's rail network by adding a dedicated underground passenger rail tunnel through the CBD that doubles the network's capacity through the city centre. The project, which spans approximately 10.2 kilometres including five new underground stations and upgraded surface stations at each end, is scheduled for completion ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and will provide the transport backbone for Games visitor movement as well as permanent long-term capacity for the Brisbane network.

The five new stations — Albert Street, Roma Street, Boggo Road, Woolloongabba and Exhibition — are each designed as transit-oriented development nodes, with planning frameworks encouraging high-density residential, commercial and retail development at and around each station. The Woolloongabba station, adjacent to the Gabba stadium and in the heart of Brisbane's most dynamic urban renewal precinct, has attracted particularly strong development interest given its proximity to the Olympic stadium and the broader urban renewal activity of the Woolloongabba area.

Existing stations across the Brisbane rail network benefit from Cross River Rail's capacity addition, as the removal of the current bottleneck through the single CBD rail corridor allows more frequent services to run on all lines. Outer suburban commuters who currently experience service frequency constraints because of the CBD capacity limit will see their services improve without directly benefiting from the new stations.

The economic development opportunity at Cross River Rail station precincts has been actively pursued by the Queensland government, with planning changes at each precinct designed to maximise the density and mix of development that the improved accessibility can support. Early development applications at the Albert Street and Woolloongabba precincts have demonstrated strong commercial interest in the transit-oriented development opportunity.

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