Northern Busway, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
Northern Busway is a bus-only road in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

. The busway allows buses to travel north/south through the Brisbane City
Brisbane central business district
The Brisbane central business district , sometimes referred to as the city, is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is located on a point on the northern bank of the Brisbane River. The triangular shaped area is bounded by the Brisbane River to the east, south and west...

 without encountering car traffic. The first section of the Northern Busway opened in February 2004 had one station, QUT Kelvin Grove, later Normanby and RCH Herston opened. In August 2009, the first stage of the Northern Busway extension, Herston to Windsor, opened.

The Northern Busway starts at the end of the South East Busway. It then proceeds north-west to the King George Square Bus Station
King George Square Busway Station, Brisbane
King George Square is a busway station located underneath King George Square in the heart of Brisbane CBD; it also marks the start of the TransLink's Northern Busway. The station has twelve stops on two platforms; access to these platforms is via an underground concourse which can be accessed from...

. The Northern Busway then surfaces near Roma Street railway station
Roma Street railway station, Brisbane
Roma Street railway station is a major railway station in the Brisbane central business district, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It was Brisbane's first railway station, opening in 1876...

 and follows the alignment of the main city train lines. The busway then continues north alongside the Exhibition railway line and then north-east through the Victoria Park Golf Complex, with stations adjacent to the Normanby Fiveways, the QUT
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...

 campus at Kelvin Grove and the Royal Children's Hospital in the suburb of Herston. The busway then turns left and on to a bridge structure alongside the RBWH precinct over Butterfield Street. In the future, the busway will continue to Bracken Ridge, via Windsor, Lutwyche, Kedron, Chermside and Aspley. At Kedron, it will be integrated with the Airport Link
Airport Link, Brisbane
The Airport Link is a tunnelled motorway grade road which is under construction in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It will connect the Brisbane central business district and the Clem Jones Tunnel to the East-West Arterial Road which leads to the Brisbane Airport...

 project, a new underground road to the Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...

.

History

The first section of the Northern Busway, from the intersection of Roma Street to Herston, opened in February 2004 with only one station, QUT Kelvin Grove. In December 2005, two new stations, Normanby and RCH Herston, were opened on the first section of the Northern Busway. In May 2007, the Queensland Government gives the green light for the Airport Link
Airport Link, Brisbane
The Airport Link is a tunnelled motorway grade road which is under construction in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It will connect the Brisbane central business district and the Clem Jones Tunnel to the East-West Arterial Road which leads to the Brisbane Airport...

 project, which includes an extension for the Northern Busway. This extension will take the Northern Busway to Bracken Ridge via Windsor, Lutwyche, Kedron, Chermside and Aspley.

The second section of the Northern Busway, also known as the Inner Northern Busway, officially opened to buses on May 2008. This section connects the first section of the Northern Busway to the South East Busway with stations at King George Square and Roma Street. To make room for the Inner Northern Busway at Roma Street one rail platform was removed. In August 2009, the first stage of the Northern Busway extension, Herston to Windsor, opened for buses.

King George Square to RBWH (Inner Northern Busway) Section

The Northern Busway starts in a tunnel underneath Albert Street in the city centre adjacent to the Queen Street bus station, previously the terminus of the South East Busway. Many northbound services using the Northern Busway originate at the Cultural Centre busway station on the South East Busway. It then proceeds north-west to the King George Square busway station, a large interchange with several stops on each of its two underground platforms. The Northern Busway then surfaces near Roma Street railway station
Roma Street railway station, Brisbane
Roma Street railway station is a major railway station in the Brisbane central business district, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It was Brisbane's first railway station, opening in 1876...

 and follows the alignment of the main city train lines. Roma Street busway station
Roma Street Busway Station, Brisbane
The Roma Street Busway Station is an integration of bus and rail services at Roma Street Station beneath the coach deck of the Brisbane Transit Centre. It forms part of the Northern Busway...

 is adjacent to the train platforms and is on the same level. Platform 2 is shared by both trains and buses, although the only train to currently use Platform 2 is CountryLink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...

's daily XPT service from Sydney Central
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...

.

The busway then continues north alongside the Exhibition railway line and then north-east through the Victoria Park Golf Complex, with stations adjacent to the Normanby Fiveways, the QUT
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...

 campus at Kelvin Grove and the Royal Children's Hospital in the suburb of Herston. The busway then turns left and on to a bridge structure alongside the RBWH precinct over Butterfield Street.

In the future, the busway will continue to Bracken Ridge, via Windsor, Lutwyche, Kedron, Chermside and Aspley. At Kedron, it will be integrated with the Airport Link
Airport Link, Brisbane
The Airport Link is a tunnelled motorway grade road which is under construction in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It will connect the Brisbane central business district and the Clem Jones Tunnel to the East-West Arterial Road which leads to the Brisbane Airport...

 project, a new underground road to Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...

.

Windsor to Kedron Section

The Windsor to Kedron Section is currently under construction, with completion anticipated in mid2012. The route is planned to rejoin Lutwyche Road after crossing Enoggera Creek
Enoggera Creek
Enoggera Creek is a waterway that rises on the D'Aguilar Range and flows into the Brisbane River. The creek's headwaters form on the southern slopes of Mount Nebo in Brisbane Forest Park....

. The route travels via bus lanes and local bus stops until it reaches Truro Street, when it enters into a dedicated underground busway tunnel. After passing through Lutwyche Busway Station and Kedron Brook Busway Station and crossing Kedron Brook
Kedron Brook
Kedron Brook is a creek that flows through the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. It starts near the outer suburb of Upper Kedron and flows in an easterly direction...

, the route rejoins Lutwyche Road at Stafford Road (Southbound/Inbound) and Sadlier Street (Northbound/Outbound).

Kedron to Bracken Ridge Section

The Kedron to Bracken Ridge section of the busway is currently under planning, with completion anticipated by 2026. The Queensland Government has released a series of draft alignments in order to identify the corridor for preservation, however no final route has been selected.

External links

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