Brisbane CBD Albert Street station construction has reached a visible milestone, with the massive 42-metre-long entrance canopy now installed, sitting 16 metres above street level.
The underground station is transforming the southern end of the city centre, giving passersby their first clear view of how the new infrastructure will reshape the area between Queen Street Mall and the Botanic Gardens.
Record-Breaking Escalator Connects Street to Platform
The Brisbane CBD Albert Street station installed Queensland’s longest escalator late last year, measuring 37.5 metres in total length. Located at the northern entrance, the escalator provides direct access from Queen Street Mall down to the station platforms below.
The scale of the underground station required engineering solutions beyond typical transit infrastructure. Moving passengers efficiently between street level and deep underground platforms meant installing equipment that breaks state records for size.
Massive Canopy Provides Shade and Flood Protection
The station’s entrance canopy now dominates the Albert Street streetscape. The steel structure weighs 153 tonnes, spans 22 metres wide and stretches 42 metres long, sitting 16 metres above the street.
Construction crews assembled the canopy from four pre-fabricated trusses, each so large they required nighttime transport through the city. The finished structure serves dual purposes: shading the public plaza below during regular operation and storing flood barrier systems that can be deployed to protect the underground station during flood events.
Green Spine Reconnects CBD Spaces
Sections of the Albert Street green spine reopened to pedestrians before Christmas, with more areas opening throughout 2026. The subtropical plaza runs between Mary and Elizabeth streets, creating new public space outside the station entrance.
The green spine design includes space for outdoor dining, shaded seating areas and improved pedestrian connections linking Queen Street Mall to the Botanic Gardens. This north-south corridor addresses a longstanding gap in CBD pedestrian infrastructure, where crossing between these destinations previously meant navigating busy traffic.
What This Means for Brisbane CBD
The Brisbane CBD Albert Street station represents the largest public transport infrastructure change to the city centre in decades. The underground station removes the bottleneck that currently limits train frequency through the CBD, allowing more services to run across the entire rail network.
For CBD workers and residents, the station provides a second major transit hub beyond Central station. The southern CBD location serves office towers, cultural institutions and riverside precincts that previously sat further from convenient rail access.
Construction continues on remaining station elements, with completion expected as part of the broader Cross River Rail project opening. More details at crossriverrail.qld.gov.au.
Published 26-January-2026.
