wow another transport and 100s of buses already existed across Brisbane. What else do you want. Learn to drive after all you live once off.. Not living over transportation all your life. Take care
It is a bus, a very impressive bus, but still just a bus. For the amount of money they spent they should have built a light rail line. Every time we go the Goldie and ride the G it will remind us of what Brissy could have had. The Brissy City Council should have just admitted they made a big mistake 55 years ago when they closed the tramways, and done things properly instead of coming up with a glorified bus pretending to be a tram!
(Asking out of curiosity, not challenging what you say) Are there advantages of having light rail compared with this system that runs on existing infrastructure?
@@BrisbaneChannel Yes, light rail can carry many more people, and do it more efficiently and economically and give a superior ride. Also, trams last a lot longer than buses so the capital cost is cheaper in the long run. And trams are more popular than buses which encourages patronage. You can see the benefits for yourself by comparing the Gold Coast light rail to the Brissy busway.
Light rail sucks. They definitely could not have built a light rail line for the price of this entire system. Please stop trying to make light rails happen, they're slow and outdated. There's a reason we got rid of them, it's because wheels are better in every way. Now electric engines and wheels are way, way better.
Currently living in a city with a real Metro (MTR in Hong Kong) - sure, this looks like a step up from a regular bus (marginally) but it is not the same thing as a real Metro. A huge missed opportunity
@@BrisbaneChannel yeah, moving back to Brisbane in February, and trying to figure out how to live without a car back home. We will live in the CBD, so hopefully doable
Excellent video. Thanks for the preview. Drone footage was great for context, as was the customer interviews. Looks like a game changer for accessibility 👍
I actually feel like this is the main advantage of the new fleet. I’m guessing they leaned into the metro title since it’s level with the platform like a train would be (it is definitely a bus 😂)
I think whether it's a game changer or not will depend on what they do with the buses these are replacing, as access to frequent public transport is severely lacking in about 2/3 of the city, and not the part served by the metros (although it is a part that sees a very high volume of passengers).
It’s quite clear that Ryan Murphy has neither seen, visited, nor heard about how some countries have far superior bus or metro systems compared to what exists in Brisbane.
These seem like great busses, but I wonder whether all those features rack up the costs. I would be happy with regular electric bus, but I do think it's cool to have stuff like this that set Brisbane apart from other cities.
Most of the money was spent digging a tunnel to speed up services. The buses were probably more than twice the cost of a regular bus, but it wasn't nearly as much as the whole project budget.
These actually look genuinely great. As a disability support worker who DREADS having to get public transport with clients, & who does literally carry a portable ramp around on shifts with certain clients, that ramp is going to great! I hope it always works & never breaks lol. A quiet bus is also such a selling point for me. One of two top reasons I chose to drive from Kallangur to park in the valley & city for many years in my city-workin'-gal days was because the noise would give me such a banging headache that by the time I'd made it all the way home on that huge trip each day I was a mess. Charging ports I don't personally care about but definitely see the appeal. I love everything about it! Room for so many more people. What's not to love! Your opening joke about it identifying as a metro gave me a good unexpected chuckle 😂😂
Yes, the accessibility features were pretty impressive. The one thing that a quiet bus reveals, though, is how noisy a full bus can be just due to chatter. The one I was on only had about 56 people (capacity is 150, 170 for events when there are more standing passengers), but it was so noisy!
@@BrisbaneChannelIn my experience, people don't often talk on buses as loudly as they were in the video. Maybe a lot more people were talking because this was a special occasion.
@@KappaCrona you're right about this. On the typical commuter/student/daytime run it will have a whole bunch of people staring at their phones, listening to headphones, and staring out the windows. You'll hear some noises more clearly though, particularly without the noisy engines covering other sound. But overall a better quieter ride
You are joking aren't you? Bracken Ridge has massive coverage. 330 every 15mins also 327 and 326. With those 3 services what more could you need. Each bus services a train station, sandgate, zillmere and carseldine, also shopping centres, strathpine, chermside and taigum. Spoilt for choice
These were seriously impressive. For those of us who may be unfamiliar with these routes an actual map showing the routes these vehicles will be plying plus the planned future routes would be interesting to see. Is there a link to a website showing these perhaps?
There's a map in the section on Metro expansion in this video: th-cam.com/video/PmmD0-nasgc/w-d-xo.html But I edited this to say that @KappaCrona's link with a downloadable map is the way to go.
@@ChristopherJewels Um.. they aren't? It is being dubbed Brisbane's new underground, in the sense of it is an underground tunnel. But they have never called it a metro. And even if they did, it doesn't automatically mean it is a metro. I mean the Brisbane Metro isn't a metro, neither in Melbourne Metro, nor is Hobart Metro (literally just buses).
@@Matt_JJz It's much more than just a few tunnels. There will be 6 new underground metro stations. It has no level crossings, no freight using it, does not use any existing track from Bowen Hills to Boggo Road and is entirely underground, including the stations. Have a look at the Albert Street station in the link I provided if you get a moment.
Interested to see how these turn out post the launch on the 21st. I still question the decision to make them battery electric rather than using overhead lines (which HESS offers on these busses). Batteries have a finite lifespan and add weight, while an overhead line’s disadvantage of locking you into a route is irrelevant since the Metro busses are running only on the busway anyway.
It was a special event. I believe they held a competition and the prize was a ride on the day. But honestly, anyone probably could have rocked up and got on, as they didn't really check that passengers were on the list. But you'll be able to ride the Metro buses on the 169 route from the 21st of this month.
Oh, I forgot to mention that they're having an open day at the Eight Mile Plains Metro depot today. You have to take a shuttle there (unfortunately the shuttle won't be a metro): www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/whats-on-and-events/event/brisbane-metro-depot-community-open-day-177149754
When I heard Brisbane was getting a metro, I assumed they were going to be laying tracks and running trains. Are these buses the finished product or are they also building a metro train service?
The "Metro" will never be anything but a high capacity bus service. However the state government is putting in a heavy train service that will largely run underground - the Cross River Rail. So yes, they are also building a train service, but it has no relationship to the project they're calling the Metro.
@@BrisbaneChannel Ah okay. I remember the sh*tfight between the Premier and the Mayor over funding Cross River and Metro. I assumed they were both train networks. I left Brisbane a few years ago and was surprised to see the bus in your video. Thanks for clarifying.
The bigger question is going to be how it ages. People said similar about Boston's Silver line for the long underground portion with true Metro style stations initially, but as the concrete wore the ride got more and more bumpy until it's now worse than most bus routes on normal streets
I've always wondered between the cost of building the original busway, subsequent upgrades, and now the bus fleet upgrade- what would it have cost to just build light rail from the beginning and have some real capacity?
Well, we'll never know, but we have what we have, so the best thing we can do is look to how we can best optimise the current situation. The only way we're going to improve things is to look forward rather than back (plus looking at things like how Brisbane not that long ago made a deliberate shift to being car-dependent is depressing and doesn't help anything).
I hope that as the diesel buses are replaced that they choose electric vehicles - not necessarily as high capacity as these ones - but I have heard nothing beyond the 60 metro vehicles already announced for this particular network. Not sure how these would go beyond the busways they're intended to run along, like the buses that serve most of the suburban routes. I will likely be doing a video looking at plans for public transport some time in the next 12-18 months, so it will be interesting to hear what their longer term plans are beyond this project.
@@BrisbaneChannel technically, nothing much prevents from buying the whole family of these exact vehicles. HESS produces them in all lengths and formats, including 10m and 12m single, 18m double, and 24m triple body.
@@BrisbaneChannelqld gov made a commitment with council that they’ll extend them to springwood, carindale, chermside/aslpey, and potentially the airport by the olympics
Keen to hear if you tried out the rear trailer. I saw comments from overseas about the Lighttram25 that the ride in the rear trailer is really bad. I saw it bouncing around when I saw the Metro on the ICB a whike back. Maybe it won’t be an issue if we’re running them on pristine busways?
Many Chinese cities built elevated bus only road for normal bus not electric or multi-car. The Brisbane road blends with the surrounding well, electric & multi-cars.
In Korea theres live tracking of the buses and subway trains from each main stops and from online. Will there be online sites to have live tracking of the Metro?
As someone who lived in China quite a long time ago, I've gotta say I'm impressed by the way they've transitioned to electric vehicles so much in recent years.
In short, urban sprawl. Brisbane used to be the largest city in the world in area, but it is very low density... just not economically feasible. There are still a heap of suburbs walking distance from the CBD that are predominantly houses and not apartment buildings. That is slowly changing, however they are being built around existing train lines.
Technically a 3 car "train" but why pretend. Can't match an automated metro's synchronized door alignment and level boarding but looks like it'll actually be a great bus!
I suspect that it's because they're putting them to use earlier on that route until the infrastructure is finished to run them on the actual Metro routes. That way the usual 169 buses can be put to use elsewhere while these are running that route. The services to UQ are the most heavily used in the city (apart from to the CBD).
Ramp deployment button should not have been located on the door leaf. This means customers need to press the button, then move away. Abutment at the ramp to floor transition is also non-compliant to AS1428.1. It might be the most accessible bus in the world, but it does not hold up to the accessibility potential of a light rail or train.
It sounds like this might be an area of expertise for you. I'm curious to know more... What is it exactly that is the issue with the ramp to floor transition? I Googled AS1428.1, and it seems to refer to a set of standards for buildings, and I wonder if there is a separate set for vehicles? But I imagine if there is something that presents an obstacle or impediment for people in a building, it would present the same in a vehicle, so I'm not discounting whatever the standard is just because it may not be referring to vehicles. I'm just interested to understand in a little more detail.
@@BrisbaneChannelThe biggest problem with this design is evident in the video - the customer needs to press the button, then reverse to make way for the ramp, then negotiate around the ramp. There is a jump cut in the video during this process showing that the customer found this difficult, and this was without the platform being crowded. Regarding your question, the Disability Discrimination Act prescribes a set of standards for public transport vehicles called the DSAPT. Within this legislated standard are numerous references to sections of AS1428 because there are commonalities between requirements for buildings and requirements for vehicles. Abutments are not mentioned in the DSAPT which means it was likely not a requirement for this project, but it's still best practice. Watch closely when the customer moves onto the ramp - they need to apply more traction temporarily to pass over this transition. This might be ok with a powdered mobility device, but what about a standard wheelchair? Both of these issues are (sorry to say) symptomatic of a lack of competency and experience in the teams delivering these projects. Unfortunately I would not be surprised if customer-initiated ramp deployment is disabled soon after services begin.
@@Raeksis I agree about the ramp button placement. Seems they didn't think of how a wheelchair would need to be positioned to actually reach the button. Having seen this lady (Julia) have to back back makes it look like to the side of the doors would have been better placement. The jump cut was about two seconds of the wheelchair rolling straight forward. It's not a paid promotion and I have no vested interest in making anything look better than it is (if she'd had trouble, I would have left that in). She didn't have any trouble getting from the side to the ramp, it was just for the sake of not having frames that didn't add anything to the video. But I can see that on a crowded platform, it may be challenging to do the loop around to get onto the ramp. But I imagine even if there were a practical way to get on it from the side, getting on through the doors at an angle would also be impractical. I'm no engineer, but I can't see a practical way to give access better than coming at it straight-on. It may not be perfect, but my personal (non-professional) view is that they did make a genuine effort when it comes to accessibility, and it's definitely better than the other public transport modes here in that respect. It's easy to point out flaws (which is something I'm still always happy for people to do), the challenge is suggesting how to do it better.
@@BrisbaneChannelfor some reason I was thinking that footage had come from someone involved in the project rather than yourself and they had inserted the jump cut in. That's marginally better to hear the customer did not have an issue with positioning There's a few things you can do. Having the button next to the doors may not have been feasible because these are sliding plug doors which open outwards and would therefore block access to a button behind. This means if you wanted to deploy the ramp after the doors had opened, you can't. One solution would have been to pre-call the ramp using a button on the platform but it looks like there's no integration between platform and vehicle.
I'll be interested to see their passenger numbers in a year and see how it compares to the Gold Coast Light Rail in its first year. In my opinion, I think it's going to be a dud, you can't carry as many passengers, the stigma of being a bus will put people off and it carries half the passenger load.
Assuming the frequency is what they're proposing, at least in peak times, the number of passengers carried works out pretty much the same, as the metro buses will run more frequently than the G-link services. Just over 300 passengers every 7 minutes vs 150 passengers every 3 minutes. I'd rather wait less time and share with fewer people, as long as the same amount of people can be moved overall.
Over the last few weeks I've had to take a bus into the city in the morning. It's quite the bottleneck. It will be interesting to see how that's affected when the two metro lines are running, especially when they're talking about such frequent services.
@@BrisbaneChannel Thanks for the reply, my personal opinion is they should simply cease most of the inbound buses at the first bus metro station they come to. Garden City, The Gabba and Burandah been the big three, and turn the buses around. Once a bus hits one of thoes three stations, they normally then all follow exactly the same route into the city.
@whatdoiputhere1694 great comment 👍 i have wondered for years why the buses don't feed the rail network and have no buses in the cbd at all. 👉 i recall sitting starionary onboard my morning bus in the tunnel leading onto melbourne street. ended up taking an alternate faster bus that goes over capt cook bridge. through the peak hour traffic. 😬
A bus can travel at the top road speed of 110kph, the Brisbane Metro (sic) can only manage 80kph. So it’s actually SLOWER than a regular electric bus on t he busway. Seems more like devolution rather than evolution.
To me a metro is a train or tram, not a bus. I thought these new busses will be fully automated and the automation will follow pre desginated routes, like the light rail works in some countries, requiring no bus driver. Guess not. All this really is a very long bus, not that I dis a bus, but trains or trams do have their advantage specifically when it comes to mass transit of things. Trains can tolerate much heavier loads without tearing up tar and normal road surfaces, and because of heavy loads, it is much longer it can also carry many more people per train. The problem with trains is expensive cost initially for tracks and the poor managment/use of such tracks. Trams can deal with both issues, because the track space is also shared as a normal road for cars, busses, etc without the need to dedicate a separate space for a trains. In either case large high density cities heavily relies on proper underground metros, yes dedicated trains running every 2 -5 min, not taking up space above ground where one could have put parks, buildings and streets, and yet is accessible every 1 or 2 city blocks away in any direction. Look at most euro large cities and you will see that, there is a reason for this! The moment a bus or tram has to share a street or road to get you anywhere, it will get stuck in traffic, and that will immediately impact on the timetables of the service, whereas a dedicated road or even a track will not and this is why an underground metro in most large cities work, on top of having busses. The busses are used to feed the metros and trains. Problem with Brisbane public transport is nothing is properly integrated, services is irregular, and many you have to almost go into the city to just come back out again. I live in morningside, and if I on a friday say want to go into the city to a bar/club, my last bus to the city is 7.30pm, nothing after that, and the last bus back is 11.30pm, which was on an hourly service. I could have walked from the city the 4 km by then. There is no other alternatives for me other than take my car, or a taxi. Morningside station used be an option, but that is under renno work for a year or 2. And Ferries also don't go. So 50c public transport in my view is not the issue. Fix the routes, to make sense, and fix the integration of the services. We don't need all the busses to go into the city, we just need busses, trains, trams, or whatever to go regularly to/from neighborhoods to transferpoints like a local shopping center, or train station where you can then have regular bus/train/tram services to the city and other major transfer points. Take a look at euro public transport systems and learn from that, they are doing it right.
First of all, this is an investment, not a cost. Second, the projected cost (so far) of planned UPGRADES to the Gateway Motorway, is over $2 Billion, already much more than the Metro cost. Public transport (and active transport) is a bargain.
Yep. Fancy double bendy electric buses. Certainly not comparable to the old bendy buses I used to take when I lived in Sydney (L90 and L88, I'm looking at you). But also certainly not Metro by the internationally accepted definition.
The issue with the “Metro” is that it only benefits those on the more popular inner city busy lines ie Brisbane to Eight Mile Plains. It does nothing to solve the many poorer serviced suburbs in outlier areas that have good population, but poor public transport services, or those suburbs that are serviced, improved start & finish times & frequency.
The amount of money spent on the many many many diesel generators it would have been easier to keep the diesel generator (motor) in the back of the bus
@@torilea8104 The depots where they charge are solar powered (not sure if they also have batteries to store the excess for overnight charging and overcast weather).
At least they are admitting it's a bus now. 😂
Nah it's a train, didn't you hear the lady @1.37
@@ChungusGG Its a trus
Transbus
Yep, just an tri articulated bus with covered wheels. Still a bus.
Just a bus 🚌 nothing else 😮😢
Thank god they’re at least calling it a Metro Bus now! Totally happy with that name.
Yep.
I'll be happy when they take the damn wheel covers off
wow another transport and 100s of buses already existed across Brisbane. What else do you want. Learn to drive after all you live once off.. Not living over transportation all your life. Take care
@@VARGENSEN I'll consider learning to drive after you learn how to string a coherent sentence together
@@VARGENSEN what are you even talking about? What’s wrong with public transport? Honestly what a stupid comment.
It's still cool for us to see how ‘our’ bus drives on the other side of the world. Thanks for the video! 💗😀
Thanks for what you do. I'm sure they'll help our public transport situation quite a bit once they're all running.
It is a bus, a very impressive bus, but still just a bus. For the amount of money they spent they should have built a light rail line. Every time we go the Goldie and ride the G it will remind us of what Brissy could have had. The Brissy City Council should have just admitted they made a big mistake 55 years ago when they closed the tramways, and done things properly instead of coming up with a glorified bus pretending to be a tram!
A slow bus at that - top speed 80kph compared to a regular bus 110kph.
(Asking out of curiosity, not challenging what you say) Are there advantages of having light rail compared with this system that runs on existing infrastructure?
@@BrisbaneChannel Yes, light rail can carry many more people, and do it more efficiently and economically and give a superior ride. Also, trams last a lot longer than buses so the capital cost is cheaper in the long run. And trams are more popular than buses which encourages patronage. You can see the benefits for yourself by comparing the Gold Coast light rail to the Brissy busway.
….or every time you go to Sydney and use a real new Metro (complete with no drivers hahaha😅)
Light rail sucks. They definitely could not have built a light rail line for the price of this entire system.
Please stop trying to make light rails happen, they're slow and outdated. There's a reason we got rid of them, it's because wheels are better in every way. Now electric engines and wheels are way, way better.
I love that the announcement actor is the same actor that did chili in bluey :>
Just like the Sydney Trains lady is the same voice of Lulu from Bananas in Pyjamas. :)
A bus will always be a bus NEVER a Metro
its a bus without options.
Are people forgetting what metro is short for? Metropolitan. It’s a metropolitan bus.
@@thevannmann 🤓
@@thevannmann "uM aKsHuLly..." - 🤓🤓🤓
Currently living in a city with a real Metro (MTR in Hong Kong) - sure, this looks like a step up from a regular bus (marginally) but it is not the same thing as a real Metro. A huge missed opportunity
I used to live in Guangzhou, where their metro is quite similar to the HK one. I still miss never needing a car.
@@BrisbaneChannel yeah, moving back to Brisbane in February, and trying to figure out how to live without a car back home. We will live in the CBD, so hopefully doable
@@f45trainingwongchukhang2 Oh, definitely doable if you'll be living in the CBD.
@@f45trainingwongchukhang2 lol... i think you'll survive, mate.
@@Iggsy81I’m sure too buddy.
Excellent video. Thanks for the preview. Drone footage was great for context, as was the customer interviews. Looks like a game changer for accessibility 👍
That was the feedback from my chat with Julie (the lady in the wheelchair - I forgot to put the name in the video), too.
Fantastic to see accessibility not being overlooked.
That's what I appreciated most about the fleet.
I actually feel like this is the main advantage of the new fleet. I’m guessing they leaned into the metro title since it’s level with the platform like a train would be (it is definitely a bus 😂)
Definitely a game changer for Brisbane! Fantastic footage, can't wait to check it out next time I'm up in Queensland!
I think whether it's a game changer or not will depend on what they do with the buses these are replacing, as access to frequent public transport is severely lacking in about 2/3 of the city, and not the part served by the metros (although it is a part that sees a very high volume of passengers).
@@BrisbaneChannel especially the north side lacks public transport
All of those accessibility features are standard on Houston buses, but they also have level boarding, so the ramps are rarely necessary.
Great video... and see how Brisbane is evolving
Hahaha, seems everyone identified it as an impressive bus, not a metro. So glad we have it in Brisbane ❤
Yep, even Brisbane City Council's transport chair.
It’s a bus, Brisbane. Lots of love Melbourne.
And Melbourne still has no metros either, only trains. Lots of love Sydney. Home of Australia's first true metro system.
@@marcozolo3536 Well, Melbourne still has its' trams, which makes having metro buses feel useless for Melbourne.
Yes, it's a bus! You say it as though it's a bad thing. It's an amazing thing, and for this use-case, 100% the best option.
Thank you to everyone. Great episode. Time to catch the bus again if they come my way.
Lots of good things and projects happening in Brissy. Beautiful city and great place to live
It’s quite clear that Ryan Murphy has neither seen, visited, nor heard about how some countries have far superior bus or metro systems compared to what exists in Brisbane.
These seem like great busses, but I wonder whether all those features rack up the costs. I would be happy with regular electric bus, but I do think it's cool to have stuff like this that set Brisbane apart from other cities.
Most of the money was spent digging a tunnel to speed up services. The buses were probably more than twice the cost of a regular bus, but it wasn't nearly as much as the whole project budget.
Sets it apart as a ghetto city that can't afford real rail
Chilli on the bus
These actually look genuinely great. As a disability support worker who DREADS having to get public transport with clients, & who does literally carry a portable ramp around on shifts with certain clients, that ramp is going to great! I hope it always works & never breaks lol.
A quiet bus is also such a selling point for me. One of two top reasons I chose to drive from Kallangur to park in the valley & city for many years in my city-workin'-gal days was because the noise would give me such a banging headache that by the time I'd made it all the way home on that huge trip each day I was a mess.
Charging ports I don't personally care about but definitely see the appeal. I love everything about it! Room for so many more people. What's not to love!
Your opening joke about it identifying as a metro gave me a good unexpected chuckle 😂😂
Yes, the accessibility features were pretty impressive.
The one thing that a quiet bus reveals, though, is how noisy a full bus can be just due to chatter. The one I was on only had about 56 people (capacity is 150, 170 for events when there are more standing passengers), but it was so noisy!
@@BrisbaneChannelIn my experience, people don't often talk on buses as loudly as they were in the video. Maybe a lot more people were talking because this was a special occasion.
@@KappaCrona I agree that's likely a factor.
@@KappaCrona you're right about this. On the typical commuter/student/daytime run it will have a whole bunch of people staring at their phones, listening to headphones, and staring out the windows. You'll hear some noises more clearly though, particularly without the noisy engines covering other sound. But overall a better quieter ride
So no cabbage before riding the metro, I guess.
I really hope it eventually expands to fitzgibbon and bracken ridge, especially to bracken ridge as public transport options for are limited there.
You are joking aren't you? Bracken Ridge has massive coverage. 330 every 15mins also 327 and 326. With those 3 services what more could you need. Each bus services a train station, sandgate, zillmere and carseldine, also shopping centres, strathpine, chermside and taigum. Spoilt for choice
These buses are only for Busway work, cheers
Plus you also have Carseldine station and bald hills stations a short drive away
This plus the 50 cent fares could make public transport far better in Brisbane! I hope it spreads to the rest of Australia
Ariel shot of the jacarandas on bloom is pretty
@@ejm3381 Yes, I agree.
Its good but wait until one of the old diesel buses breaks down on the busway and the metro comes to a crawl
Haha, good point!
looking forward to this when I come home to brisbane after spending time abroad
Where are you now?
@@BrisbaneChannel Been in the US for last six months, it definitely has made me miss Brisbane's great public transport lol
Wow, so it's WORSE there?
@@BrisbaneChannel Public transport in major US cities is practically non existent except in the north east. They are heavily car dependent.
Great video mate, well done 👍🏻😎
Thanks 👍
wonderful. we need more of this.
These were seriously impressive. For those of us who may be unfamiliar with these routes an actual map showing the routes these vehicles will be plying plus the planned future routes would be interesting to see. Is there a link to a website showing these perhaps?
Yep, here's a link to the official media release (w/ a downloadable map at the end):
statements.qld.gov.au/statements/101184
There's a map in the section on Metro expansion in this video: th-cam.com/video/PmmD0-nasgc/w-d-xo.html
But I edited this to say that @KappaCrona's link with a downloadable map is the way to go.
@@BrisbaneChannelSorry, I did watch it all, honestly but somehow missed that at the start. Bit embarrassing!
All good.
@@BrisbaneChannelCheers for the mention mate 👍
I just hope they still end up building an ACTUAL metro
Under construction and opens early 2026. Only 6 stations but it's a start. th-cam.com/video/BB_diEEShik/w-d-xo.html
@@ChristopherJewels Cross River Rail isn't a metro, rather a commuter rail tunnel. They serve different roles.
@@Matt_JJzThen why are they calling it Brisbane Underground Metro? th-cam.com/video/BB_diEEShik/w-d-xo.html
@@ChristopherJewels Um.. they aren't? It is being dubbed Brisbane's new underground, in the sense of it is an underground tunnel. But they have never called it a metro. And even if they did, it doesn't automatically mean it is a metro. I mean the Brisbane Metro isn't a metro, neither in Melbourne Metro, nor is Hobart Metro (literally just buses).
@@Matt_JJz It's much more than just a few tunnels. There will be 6 new underground metro stations. It has no level crossings, no freight using it, does not use any existing track from Bowen Hills to Boggo Road and is entirely underground, including the stations. Have a look at the Albert Street station in the link I provided if you get a moment.
Interested to see how these turn out post the launch on the 21st. I still question the decision to make them battery electric rather than using overhead lines (which HESS offers on these busses). Batteries have a finite lifespan and add weight, while an overhead line’s disadvantage of locking you into a route is irrelevant since the Metro busses are running only on the busway anyway.
Oh I wish I knew about yesterday 😢was anyone allowed on for the test ride?
It was a special event. I believe they held a competition and the prize was a ride on the day. But honestly, anyone probably could have rocked up and got on, as they didn't really check that passengers were on the list. But you'll be able to ride the Metro buses on the 169 route from the 21st of this month.
Oh, I forgot to mention that they're having an open day at the Eight Mile Plains Metro depot today. You have to take a shuttle there (unfortunately the shuttle won't be a metro): www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/whats-on-and-events/event/brisbane-metro-depot-community-open-day-177149754
Do you have a time please!
?
Click on that link, it has times. There's three time slots you can book.
Great upgrade for Brisbane!
When I heard Brisbane was getting a metro, I assumed they were going to be laying tracks and running trains. Are these buses the finished product or are they also building a metro train service?
That is the so called "Metro" in Brisbane unfortunately.
The "Metro" will never be anything but a high capacity bus service. However the state government is putting in a heavy train service that will largely run underground - the Cross River Rail. So yes, they are also building a train service, but it has no relationship to the project they're calling the Metro.
@@BrisbaneChannel Ah okay. I remember the sh*tfight between the Premier and the Mayor over funding Cross River and Metro. I assumed they were both train networks. I left Brisbane a few years ago and was surprised to see the bus in your video. Thanks for clarifying.
It’s a BUS!
"Metro". Sure Jan.
The bigger question is going to be how it ages. People said similar about Boston's Silver line for the long underground portion with true Metro style stations initially, but as the concrete wore the ride got more and more bumpy until it's now worse than most bus routes on normal streets
Our busways were built in the '80s and they're still holding out pretty well, but I guess we'll see...
I've always wondered between the cost of building the original busway, subsequent upgrades, and now the bus fleet upgrade- what would it have cost to just build light rail from the beginning and have some real capacity?
Well, we'll never know, but we have what we have, so the best thing we can do is look to how we can best optimise the current situation. The only way we're going to improve things is to look forward rather than back (plus looking at things like how Brisbane not that long ago made a deliberate shift to being car-dependent is depressing and doesn't help anything).
0:30 I'm triggered!!! 😡 You're about to get cancelled buddy.
Has USB C ports. Colour me impressed.
It'd be great to have the full bus fleet like this before 2032?
Any inside goss Adam?!
I hope that as the diesel buses are replaced that they choose electric vehicles - not necessarily as high capacity as these ones - but I have heard nothing beyond the 60 metro vehicles already announced for this particular network. Not sure how these would go beyond the busways they're intended to run along, like the buses that serve most of the suburban routes. I will likely be doing a video looking at plans for public transport some time in the next 12-18 months, so it will be interesting to hear what their longer term plans are beyond this project.
@@BrisbaneChannel I think hybrid buses would last longer
@@BrisbaneChannel technically, nothing much prevents from buying the whole family of these exact vehicles. HESS produces them in all lengths and formats, including 10m and 12m single, 18m double, and 24m triple body.
@@BrisbaneChannelqld gov made a commitment with council that they’ll extend them to springwood, carindale, chermside/aslpey, and potentially the airport by the olympics
@@MichaelLyons8 Yes, but I think flyingbeardman is suggesting electric buses to replace all Brisbane buses, not just along "metro" routes.
The Brisbane VIP channel strikes again.
Haha. But Redland and Ipswich Councils still don't return my emails, so not so VIP!
Can't wait to get on this...bus? I'm curious whwt kind of driver licence is required to be a metro driver
Oh the algorithm giving this to me on the day of its opening 😂
This episode of Bluey is called UQ links
The LNP con job of naming a bendy-bus as a metro is deceptive.
Keen to hear if you tried out the rear trailer.
I saw comments from overseas about the Lighttram25 that the ride in the rear trailer is really bad. I saw it bouncing around when I saw the Metro on the ICB a whike back.
Maybe it won’t be an issue if we’re running them on pristine busways?
I spent time on all three sections during the ride, and didn't notice any difference in the smoothness of the ride in the end section.
Going to try it out when it’s opened to the roads.
You won't have to wait long.
Many Chinese cities built elevated bus only road for normal bus not electric or multi-car. The Brisbane road blends with the surrounding well, electric & multi-cars.
WEW. 13:10:2024. I am coming to Brisbane very soon and will have to try these new buses.
Enjoy!
Hey, Brisbane chanel! Another great video. Here is an idea about some of the next ones - playgraunds in Brisbane/ Parks in Brisbane 😀
Thanks for your suggestion. I'll add it to the list.
Nicely covered 👍👍
Cheers!
@@BrisbaneChannel I've shared it around 👍
Thanks! Must be why it's taking off!
@@BrisbaneChannel Doubtful; it's because you cover all aspects of Brisbane, in such a thorough & cinematic way mate.👍
In Korea theres live tracking of the buses and subway trains from each main stops and from online. Will there be online sites to have live tracking of the Metro?
There's multiple apps that track our public transport in real time, so the metros would certainly be added to those.
AnyTrip
Looks like a relatively quick and cheaper way of getting a “light rail” system in place. Laurie. NZ. 😊
Your positivity is a breath of fresh air amongst some of these comments!
What so the bus can be fully charged in 6 minutes. Why isn’t that technology in electric cars
Probably a matter of cost, I'm guessing. It's pretty new tech, also.
Still better if it was actual rail but it does look spiffy and chic!
That reflects my sentiments.
There more services at the end of this year.
Looks impressive, however I do find it strange they chose the name Metro which is odd however impressive all the same
As does pretty much everyone in Brisbane.
Man, that's actually pretty interesting, considering that it does operates like a Bendy Bus(my personal favorite) and it's longer,hmm
That's a Bus.
Well spotted.
It’s a BUS not a metro 😩
Well, if it's any consolation, Brisbane City Council's transport chair Ryan Murphy calls it a bus in this very video.
I cant with those Ugly chairs though 🙄 but these are so cool and look like the ones in China. Super quiet and good on the environment.
As someone who lived in China quite a long time ago, I've gotta say I'm impressed by the way they've transitioned to electric vehicles so much in recent years.
Are these trackless trams?
Not even. They're bi-articulated buses.
Oh lovely. Thanks. ❤
Its just a bus
One of the first riders, Arlo here!
Hey Arlo! Thanks for being in the video.
Cheers mate
Cheers back!
My only question is why the hell didn’t Brisbane opted for a real Metro like with Sydney or like other world class cities
In short, urban sprawl. Brisbane used to be the largest city in the world in area, but it is very low density... just not economically feasible.
There are still a heap of suburbs walking distance from the CBD that are predominantly houses and not apartment buildings. That is slowly changing, however they are being built around existing train lines.
I can imagine a Metro bus line like this going to Chermside, which doesn't have a close train station, but is growing in density.
I love the ligh hesstram 25
BUS !! Nothing more.
The light on the metro bothers me why is it blue lol
Ok, lets see that bus access the Myer centre stop.....
I guess that's part of what's behind them putting in a new tunnel under Adelaide Street.
@BrisbaneChannel
Yeah, but was funny to hear the driver say they could go anywhere a bus could go.. 😝
@@petert3355 I'm not exactly sure they couldn't. It'd be a challenge, but it may still be possible. Doubt they'd dare try to prove a point, though!
@@BrisbaneChannel
Agreed, I know that I'm not good enough to get a bus through the snake, so I'm not gonna try. 😃
Can they change the name? The name is so misleading. It's just a longer and wider bus.
Yes, it's misleading. And no, they won't change the name.
@@BrisbaneChannel it just means when we get a true metro we will have to call it an MRT
Technically a 3 car "train" but why pretend. Can't match an automated metro's synchronized door alignment and level boarding but looks like it'll actually be a great bus!
2:39, alright let's have it turn right under Queen Street instead of Left towards King George :P
A bus, wooo /s
Why is the 169 route temporary though, so sad
I suspect that it's because they're putting them to use earlier on that route until the infrastructure is finished to run them on the actual Metro routes. That way the usual 169 buses can be put to use elsewhere while these are running that route. The services to UQ are the most heavily used in the city (apart from to the CBD).
@@BrisbaneChannel Hopefully my 169 route just gets quicker, idc whether its by metro or just normal bus (im a uni student). TT
Ramp deployment button should not have been located on the door leaf. This means customers need to press the button, then move away. Abutment at the ramp to floor transition is also non-compliant to AS1428.1.
It might be the most accessible bus in the world, but it does not hold up to the accessibility potential of a light rail or train.
It sounds like this might be an area of expertise for you. I'm curious to know more...
What is it exactly that is the issue with the ramp to floor transition? I Googled AS1428.1, and it seems to refer to a set of standards for buildings, and I wonder if there is a separate set for vehicles? But I imagine if there is something that presents an obstacle or impediment for people in a building, it would present the same in a vehicle, so I'm not discounting whatever the standard is just because it may not be referring to vehicles. I'm just interested to understand in a little more detail.
@@BrisbaneChannelThe biggest problem with this design is evident in the video - the customer needs to press the button, then reverse to make way for the ramp, then negotiate around the ramp. There is a jump cut in the video during this process showing that the customer found this difficult, and this was without the platform being crowded.
Regarding your question, the Disability Discrimination Act prescribes a set of standards for public transport vehicles called the DSAPT. Within this legislated standard are numerous references to sections of AS1428 because there are commonalities between requirements for buildings and requirements for vehicles. Abutments are not mentioned in the DSAPT which means it was likely not a requirement for this project, but it's still best practice. Watch closely when the customer moves onto the ramp - they need to apply more traction temporarily to pass over this transition. This might be ok with a powdered mobility device, but what about a standard wheelchair?
Both of these issues are (sorry to say) symptomatic of a lack of competency and experience in the teams delivering these projects.
Unfortunately I would not be surprised if customer-initiated ramp deployment is disabled soon after services begin.
@@Raeksis I agree about the ramp button placement. Seems they didn't think of how a wheelchair would need to be positioned to actually reach the button. Having seen this lady (Julia) have to back back makes it look like to the side of the doors would have been better placement.
The jump cut was about two seconds of the wheelchair rolling straight forward. It's not a paid promotion and I have no vested interest in making anything look better than it is (if she'd had trouble, I would have left that in). She didn't have any trouble getting from the side to the ramp, it was just for the sake of not having frames that didn't add anything to the video. But I can see that on a crowded platform, it may be challenging to do the loop around to get onto the ramp. But I imagine even if there were a practical way to get on it from the side, getting on through the doors at an angle would also be impractical. I'm no engineer, but I can't see a practical way to give access better than coming at it straight-on.
It may not be perfect, but my personal (non-professional) view is that they did make a genuine effort when it comes to accessibility, and it's definitely better than the other public transport modes here in that respect. It's easy to point out flaws (which is something I'm still always happy for people to do), the challenge is suggesting how to do it better.
@@BrisbaneChannelfor some reason I was thinking that footage had come from someone involved in the project rather than yourself and they had inserted the jump cut in. That's marginally better to hear the customer did not have an issue with positioning
There's a few things you can do. Having the button next to the doors may not have been feasible because these are sliding plug doors which open outwards and would therefore block access to a button behind. This means if you wanted to deploy the ramp after the doors had opened, you can't. One solution would have been to pre-call the ramp using a button on the platform but it looks like there's no integration between platform and vehicle.
@@Raeksis Good point about the button getting blocked by the doors. The integration with something on the platform sounds like a good idea.
I'll be interested to see their passenger numbers in a year and see how it compares to the Gold Coast Light Rail in its first year. In my opinion, I think it's going to be a dud, you can't carry as many passengers, the stigma of being a bus will put people off and it carries half the passenger load.
Assuming the frequency is what they're proposing, at least in peak times, the number of passengers carried works out pretty much the same, as the metro buses will run more frequently than the G-link services. Just over 300 passengers every 7 minutes vs 150 passengers every 3 minutes. I'd rather wait less time and share with fewer people, as long as the same amount of people can be moved overall.
Just hope this eventually does something about the stupid melbourne Street bus Jams we have every peak hour comming in from the south.
Over the last few weeks I've had to take a bus into the city in the morning. It's quite the bottleneck. It will be interesting to see how that's affected when the two metro lines are running, especially when they're talking about such frequent services.
@@BrisbaneChannel Thanks for the reply, my personal opinion is they should simply cease most of the inbound buses at the first bus metro station they come to. Garden City, The Gabba and Burandah been the big three, and turn the buses around. Once a bus hits one of thoes three stations, they normally then all follow exactly the same route into the city.
@whatdoiputhere1694 great comment 👍 i have wondered for years why the buses don't feed the rail network and have no buses in the cbd at all. 👉 i recall sitting starionary onboard my morning bus in the tunnel leading onto melbourne street. ended up taking an alternate faster bus that goes over capt cook bridge. through the peak hour traffic. 😬
peace be upon you sir from me
21st century transport?!!! LMAO
@@djw024 Well, this is the 21st century after all. But it seems you didn't get the joke.
All hail the MetroBus
The LA Metro G Line could do with these buses immediately!
A bus can travel at the top road speed of 110kph, the Brisbane Metro (sic) can only manage 80kph.
So it’s actually SLOWER than a regular electric bus on t he busway. Seems more like devolution rather than evolution.
That would be a significant point if the maximum speed on Brisbane's busways was higher than 80km/h.
To me a metro is a train or tram, not a bus. I thought these new busses will be fully automated and the automation will follow pre desginated routes, like the light rail works in some countries, requiring no bus driver. Guess not. All this really is a very long bus, not that I dis a bus, but trains or trams do have their advantage specifically when it comes to mass transit of things. Trains can tolerate much heavier loads without tearing up tar and normal road surfaces, and because of heavy loads, it is much longer it can also carry many more people per train. The problem with trains is expensive cost initially for tracks and the poor managment/use of such tracks. Trams can deal with both issues, because the track space is also shared as a normal road for cars, busses, etc without the need to dedicate a separate space for a trains.
In either case large high density cities heavily relies on proper underground metros, yes dedicated trains running every 2 -5 min, not taking up space above ground where one could have put parks, buildings and streets, and yet is accessible every 1 or 2 city blocks away in any direction. Look at most euro large cities and you will see that, there is a reason for this!
The moment a bus or tram has to share a street or road to get you anywhere, it will get stuck in traffic, and that will immediately impact on the timetables of the service, whereas a dedicated road or even a track will not and this is why an underground metro in most large cities work, on top of having busses. The busses are used to feed the metros and trains.
Problem with Brisbane public transport is nothing is properly integrated, services is irregular, and many you have to almost go into the city to just come back out again.
I live in morningside, and if I on a friday say want to go into the city to a bar/club, my last bus to the city is 7.30pm, nothing after that, and the last bus back is 11.30pm, which was on an hourly service. I could have walked from the city the 4 km by then. There is no other alternatives for me other than take my car, or a taxi. Morningside station used be an option, but that is under renno work for a year or 2. And Ferries also don't go.
So 50c public transport in my view is not the issue. Fix the routes, to make sense, and fix the integration of the services.
We don't need all the busses to go into the city, we just need busses, trains, trams, or whatever to go regularly to/from neighborhoods to transferpoints like a local shopping center, or train station where you can then have regular bus/train/tram services to the city and other major transfer points.
Take a look at euro public transport systems and learn from that, they are doing it right.
@@petrusrossouw6018 Basically, yes.
How many will be on the road what did it cost the rate payers
60 vehicles, but remember these will be running along busways. Total cost including infrastructure is an estimated $1.4 billion.
First of all, this is an investment, not a cost. Second, the projected cost (so far) of planned UPGRADES to the Gateway Motorway, is over $2 Billion, already much more than the Metro cost. Public transport (and active transport) is a bargain.
Yes, investment is a better word.
So they are bendy buses
😂
Yep. Fancy double bendy electric buses. Certainly not comparable to the old bendy buses I used to take when I lived in Sydney (L90 and L88, I'm looking at you). But also certainly not Metro by the internationally accepted definition.
Why did they call it Brisbane Metro?
That's a very good question!
The issue with the “Metro” is that it only benefits those on the more popular inner city busy lines ie Brisbane to Eight Mile Plains.
It does nothing to solve the many poorer serviced suburbs in outlier areas that have good population, but poor public transport services, or those suburbs that are serviced, improved start & finish times & frequency.
@@Rangatology Not if the buses the "metro" replace are redeployed to the areas and routes that are lacking. Hopefully that's what happens.
@@BrisbaneChannel Mate, that’s the dream. Unfortunately I’ve heard very little to support such a great notion.
$1.4B of taxpayers money spent on a negligible upgrade to an existing busway. It’s not a metro by any definition.
Should have just added trams fr
The amount of money spent on the many many many diesel generators it would have been easier to keep the diesel generator (motor) in the back of the bus
What diesel generators? Is not the system powered by 2300 solar panels? cleantechnica.com/2024/10/12/brisbane-metro-the-end-of-diesel-buses/
What happens with electric buses if we have a blackout? 🤔
@@torilea8104 The depots where they charge are solar powered (not sure if they also have batteries to store the excess for overnight charging and overcast weather).
It’s a BUS so it will be as bumpy as the poorly maintained QLD and Brisbane roads are.
@@taliew38 This runs along the busway, so much smoother than if it were running along regular roads.
how is this the world's best bus when it doenst even drive itself........omg............
Twitch TTS lets you know wheelchair ramp deployed
That's cool, but is it necessary when the voice from the bus announces it anyway?
@@BrisbaneChannel I meant it's the same voice. Not that it's some sort of Twitch feature
@@nezuminora9528 Oh, got ya. 😊
i love bustech
"trackless trams"
bring my 2 stroke diesel bus that plays american rocknroll
THe South Brisbane Metro
So a fake tram
You didn't have to make the one joke though...
Sure I didn't have to. It was a choice.