Cross River Rail Boggo Road station opens early as project hits new milestone

Brisbane's Cross River Rail project has reached a landmark milestone with the opening of the Boggo Road station, the first new underground station in the Queensland capital in more than 40 years. The station opened two months ahead of its revised schedule, with Queensland Rail confirming it has been carrying passengers since early this week.

The Boggo Road station, built at a depth of 22 metres and connected to the existing Boggo Road busway interchange via a pedestrian tunnel, will serve the Dutton Park, Buranda, and Woolloongabba catchments. It is the third of five new underground stations to open on the Cross River Rail line, with stations at Roma Street, Albert Street, Woolloongabba, and Exhibition to open progressively over the next 18 months.

Transport Minister Bart Mellish said the early opening of Boggo Road reflected the program's improved delivery momentum after early challenges with the tunnelling contract. "Cross River Rail is no longer a future promise — it's a daily reality for thousands of commuters," he said.

Patronage data from the first week of operation showed strong demand, with an average of 18,400 entries and exits per weekday — significantly higher than the modelled 12,000 in the project's business case. Queensland Rail said the figures reflected pent-up demand from residents in the Dutton Park corridor who had previously faced long walk times to the surface network.

The Woolloongabba station, which will serve the new cricketing and Olympic precinct, is targeted for opening in October.

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