Another 59 Brisbane Metros will be purchased after the pilot vehicle successfully completed more than 1,000 test runs, Brisbane City Council announced today.
Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said the fully-electric, high-capacity vehicles were the first of their kind in Australia and will transform Brisbane transportation.
“The Brisbane Metro will initially service 19 stations, but I am now more confident than ever that we can look towards expanding the Metro network to other areas of our city,” said Lord Mayor Schrinner.
Over the past three months, the Brisbane Metro has been tested on busways and bridges, along motorways and up mountains while clocking up enough kilometres to travel more than three return trips between Brisbane and Sydney.
“In this time, the vehicle has undertaken 1157 tests and inspections and exceeded our expectations so we’re placing an order for 59 more vehicles,” the Lord Mayor said.
“While residents may have spotted the pilot metro while it was out completing its extensive testing, the EKKA brings the chance for visitors to experience first-hand the future of public transport.
“I expect residents will be incredibly impressed with this vehicle and be excited that we will soon have 60 of the world’s most advanced electric vehicles delivering turn-up-and-go transport right here in Brisbane.”
Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport, Ryan Murphy said ordering the fleet was another step towards services commencing in late 2024.
“We have tested everything from manoeuvrability, accessibility, energy consumption and passenger experience on the pilot vehicle and the results have exceeded our expectations,” Cr Murphy said.
“The rigorous testing regime confirmed that the Metros will remain cool in Brisbane’s summer, warm in our winter and able to provide the very high level of reliability that we need on the busway.
“The Brisbane Metro will also be highly accessible, and we have worked with seven accessibility advocacy groups to deliver the best travel experience residents of all abilities.
“With three large mobility aid bays, 10 priority seats, automated ramp access, next stop announcements and hearing loops across all compartments the Metro goes above and beyond our requirements to deliver the most accessible vehicle we’ve ever put into service.”
The pilot vehicle will now take a break from testing to go on display at the EKKA, giving residents their first-ever chance to jump on board and check out the state-of-the-art vehicle.
The vehicle will continue service and reliability testing after its display at the EKKA.
