Electric-powered buses almost 30 metres long could move Brisbane commuters in the new "metro" service announced by Brisbane City Council on Saturday.
While the council calls it a "metro" service, it is new-generation buses that would shift the people.
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And they are most likely to be electric – or at the least run on hybrid power.
They are called "bi-articulated" buses and are common throughout Europe and South America.
Council is looking at two concepts as it finalises a business case by May 2017 for the two new routes.
Work could start in 2018 and be finished by 2022.
The new routes
- Â Â Â Â Â Bus every three minutes: Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street;
- Â Â Â Â Â Bus every three minutes: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to the University of Queensland;
- Â Â Â Â Â Total 21 kilometres.
![An artists' impression of what Brisbane's 'Metro' bi-articulated buses could look like.](/web/20170306235527im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/s/0/5/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gurzpm.png/1488831851612.jpg)
What will the buses look like?
Example one: Van Hool's Exquicity 24
They would look like modern "bi-articulated buses" with three passenger sections and two rubber-lined joints, with the driver sitting in the front section.
Council is still reluctant to call them buses, arguing that while they would have rubber tyres, they would operate more like trams.
Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner did not think the term "metro" was confusing commuters.
"Metro is not a particular type of vehicle," he said.
"If you look around the world, 'metro' is used in a whole range of different circumstances in a whole range of different kinds of vehicles.
"'Metro' is about high frequency, high capacity so people don't have to rely on a timetable. People just need to turn up."
What the experts say
Robert Dow from Rail: Back on Track said council had begun to explore two models of bi- articulated buses as they shaped the tender. No decision has been made.
Example 2: AutoTram Extra Bus
He said Brisbane commuters would be familiar with the "articulated" buses, or banana buses with one "bendy" section because there will about 30 still operating in south-east Queensland.
He said the "bi-articulated" buses had two "bendy banana sections" plus the front section with the driver.
"The largest running at the moment carries around 270 passengers and that is running in South America," he said.
"There's another one in Sweden which carries 258," he said.
"So they can easily reach 200 passengers."
"They're (BCC) saying 150 passengers, but we think they will easily end up with something carrying 200 passengers per articulated bus."
Mr Dow said the two routes were practical.
The first between Royal Brisbane Hospital, QUT's Kelvin Grove campus, the CBD, the Mater Hospital and the University of Queensland was already popular.
"It connects all the knowledge precincts up," he said.
Mr Dow said the second route between Roma Street and Eight Mile Plains was also a "workhorse" along the South East Busway.
"The buses that the bi-articulated buses displace will go out into the suburbs to feed the busways and provide better suburban connections and reduce the number of buses running through the city," he said.
Will they be conventional diesel or gas, hybrid or electric?
Mr Dow said council was exploring the use of electric buses, an idea it has investigated since 2011.
"These days rapid electric charging technology has really developed tremendously," he said.
"And they are certainly going to look at it."
Mr Dow said he believed the business case would look at conventional diesel or gas, rapid-charge electric buses, or hybrid.
"The way I see it happening here in Brisbane if they went full electric: at Royal Brisbane Hospital, UQ Lakes, Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street Station they would set up rapid-charging stations," he said.
"So when they go out to lay-off, they would go in, charge up for a few minutes and then go back onto the route."
Capacity problems
Chris Warnock from Engineers Australia says the new Brisbane Metro was a better fit with the changed Cross River Rail project announced last Sunday by the state government.
But he warned there were difficulties with using the extra buses on the South East Busway, the Northern Busway and the Boggo Road Busway to University of Queensland.
"Just keep in mind that all of those busways that they have mentioned will end up having capacity problems," he said.
"My perennial question is 'what are you going to do then?'"
Mr Warnock said even though the "metro" planned to put 121 buses out into the suburbs, the effectiveness depended on commuters switching buses.
"So, if you travel in from the outer suburbs, if you come in by bus, you would have to get off (one bus) and get onto this system."
Mr Warnock said while "changing modes" was popular in Europe, it was less popular in Australia.
"It is something that Australians are going to have to get used to as our network expands."
What needs to happen?
- Â Â Â Â A new bus interchange built under the QPAC;
- Â Â Â Slight modifications to South East Busway and Inner Northern Busway;
- Â Â Â Some corners may need modification for tight turning circles;
- Â Â Â Possible modifications to the busway stations;
- Â Â Â Money in the 2017-18 Brisbane City Council budget for the tender to be called;
- Â Â Â Victoria Bridge becomes a 'green'; no cars and buses and pedestrians only.
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