The developments follow a series of delays,cost blowouts andstate government interventions since the project wasannounced in 2016 to ease inner-city bus network congestion.
The council budget handed down last week showed more than half the project’s remaining cost – $540 million – was not projected until the 2023-24 and 2024-25 financial years,prompting councillors to probe public and active transport committee chair Ryan Murphy on its progress on Monday.
“We anticipate the commencement of the project will be essentially a soft launch,” he said.
“So services will start,drivers will need to be trained,passengers will need to slowly integrate with the new experience ... it will be a progressive rollout.”
Cr Murphy said construction on the Adelaide Street link,which will allow high-frequency buses totravel below the surface between the Victoria Bridge and King George Square busway,was now likely to take about 18 months,with an extra six months of additional work to finalise it.
“We’re expecting construction on the tunnel to start in late 2021,with completion due in May of 2024,” he said.
The councilwill reheat its push for the Cultural Centre station to go underground if Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic bid is successful,after long-running disagreements with the state about the design and location forced an agreement on a street-level upgrade.