Brisbane is set to test its inaugural underground train before Christmas, marking a historic milestone for the Cross River Rail project. This new line will operate 27 meters below Roma Street, a significant development in the city’s transportation infrastructure.
Graeme Newton, CEO of the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, disclosed that Queensland’s new NGR trains will undergo trial runs on the subterranean tracks following rigorous engineering and safety assessments. “It will be in the second half of 2024, before Christmas,” Newton said during an exclusive tour of the nearly completed underground stations. “But it comes back to the safety issue. We won’t proceed until all safety approvals are in place.”
Underground Train Testing Progress Ahead of Christmas
A high rail vehicle, essentially a truck with rail wheels, has already tested the underground tracks to ensure they can handle the engineering loads and pressures. “What you are trying to do is progressively go through the risk assessment,” Newton explained. “Then the final step, the ultimate test, is to slowly run a train to ensure everything is in order. But yes, I expect this before Christmas.”
Train drivers have been practicing on computer-animated simulations of the underground route. Placing an actual train on the tracks will be a significant event for both the project and the city.
Technological Advancements
Each six-carriage train on the Cross River Rail will be precisely guided to the platform’s exact point by electronic beacons known as balises. These beacons ensure that the carriage doors align perfectly with the state’s first automatic platform screen doors, enhancing both safety and efficiency.
The project aims to provide high-frequency rail service, with up to 25 trains per hour operating beneath Brisbane’s streets. The Cross River Rail project is now moving into its third stage, having completed tunneling and progressed to the fit-out and technical checks of the underground stations.
Project Milestones
Two years ago, about 1,000 people, including journalists, students, and competition winners, walked through a 430-meter stretch of the freshly excavated tunnel in Spring Hill, which at the time was merely a concrete cavern. Recently, at the Woolloongabba station, the final of 24 escalators was installed, allowing over 17,000 commuters to access the platform six storeys or 27 meters below ground.
The canopies over the entrances to the Roma Street and Woolloongabba stations will soon be installed, offering commuters a preview of the infrastructure beneath.
History and Future
Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project, initiated in 2007 and spanning five premiers since Peter Beattie, who unveiled the Inner City Rail Capacity Study, has come a long way. The study indicated the need for a new rail bridge by 2016 due to the Merivale Rail Bridge’s incapacity to handle the growing demand.
By the first quarter of 2026, southeast Queensland’s trains will traverse the 10.2-kilometer Cross River Rail line, which includes 5.9 kilometers of twin tunnels running under the Brisbane River and CBD.
This project features four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street, and Roma Street, along with a new surface-level Exhibition train station on the north side. Additionally, stations on the south side’s Beenleigh line, including Dutton Park, Fairfield, Moorooka, Yeerongpilly, Yeronga, and Rocklea, have been upgraded.
This $6.3 billion project is set to transform Brisbane’s public transport landscape, providing a modern and efficient rail system for the city’s future.
