New milestone reached on QLD Cross River Rail Albert Street Station

Queensland’s massive Cross River Rail development is progressing well towards completion as it marks a new milestone on the new Albert Street Station in Brisbane. 

Excavation at the new underground station has reached a record-breaking depth of 50 metres at its lowest point beneath Brisbane, which is almost double the previous record of 26 metres during the construction of Queen’s Wharf. 

The excavates station box has generated enough soil to fill about 19 Olympic-sized swimming pools and it is comparable to an underground carpark that is 15 levels deep. 

“This dig, in the heart of the CBD, has smashed the previous record, making it the deepest in Brisbane’s history. 

“This milestone for Cross River Rail is yet another example of the sheer scale of this project. 

“It is credit to the over 250 workers on site who achieved this despite challenging engineering conditions in between high-rise buildings in the middle of a bustling CBD,” Acting Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles said. 

With excavation works concluding, the focus will now move towards permanent building works for the new Albert Street Station. 

The Albert Street Station is the first CBD train station to be built in over 120 years. Once up and running, it will provide improved public transport for residents, students as well as workers in the city’s southern end. 

“While excavation of the 50-metre-deep station box cavern has been completed, we continue to work away on the adjoining 290-metre-long station cavern. 

“The Albert Street station will have entrances at both ends, dramatically improving connectivity to not only Botanic Gardens, QUT Gardens Point campus and the new Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development but also Elizabeth Street and Queen Street Mall. 

“With over 67,000 people expected to use the Albert Street station each weekday by 2036, these long platforms are definitely needed,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said. 

Cross River Rail is a vital piece of transport infrastructure for Queensland, especially for the upcoming 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

The new 10.2-kilometre rail line will run from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, with a 5.9-kilometre twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the CBD. 

This multi-billion-dollar development will also deliver new and upgraded stations across its entire route. Stations include: 

• Four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street 
• Two upgraded stations at Dutton Park and Exhibition 
• Six upgraded stations from Salisbury to Fairfield on Brisbane’s Southside 
• Development of three new Gold Coast stations 

“We know how important Cross River Rail was in Queensland’s winning Olympic big and the crucial role it will play in unlocking the rail network bottleneck over the Brisbane River. 

“As our population continues to boom, I’m sure the extra services we can provide across the whole network will be warmly welcomed by commuters, tourists and games-goers alike,” Minister Bailey said. 

Construction on Albert Street Station is due to be completed in 2023 while major construction on Cross River Rail is anticipated to be completed in 2024, with train services to commence in 2025. 

Over its five-year construction period, Cross River Rail is expected to create an average of 1,500 jobs annually, with about 3,000 jobs at peak construction.

Source: Queensland Government – Media Statements; Cross River Rail (1, 2, 3); Inside Construction; Roads & Infrastructure Australia