Airtrain (also known as the Airport railway line) is the privately owned commuter railway line that extends northeast from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

( from

Central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

by rail), the state capital of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, to

Brisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is an international airport serving Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. The airport services 31 airlines flying to 50 domestic and 29 international destinations, total amounting to more than 22.7 mill ...

at both its separate International and Domestic terminals. It was opened in 2001. The line is carried on an elevated

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially prestressed (Compression (physics), compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-t ...

viaduct for its entire length after branching off from the Queensland Rail network at

Eagle Junction railway station Eagle Junction railway station is located on the North Coast railway line, Queensland, North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It is one of two railway stations serving the Brisbane suburb of Clayfield, the other being Clayfield railway stat ...

Airtrain Citylink Airtrain Citylink is a company that was formed to build and operate the Airport railway line, Brisbane, Airport line in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia under a Build-operate-transfer, BOOT scheme. The line will pass into Queensland Rail ownersh ...

will pass ownership of the line to

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both Commuter rail, suburban and Regional rail, interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well ...

in 2036.

Ownership and business

The Airtrain service is a private enterprise. The line is owned and operated by Airtrain Citylink Limited, with financial backing from Transfield Services,

Macquarie Bank Macquarie Group Limited (), more commonly known as Macquarie Bank, is an Australian multinational investment banking and financial services group headquartered in Sydney and listed on the ASX (). Macquarie's investment banking division is Au ...

Colonial First State Colonial First State (CFS) is an Australian wealth management group that provides investment, superannuation and retirement products to individuals as well as corporate and superannuation fund investors. History The company was established in ...

and ABN AMRO. The first service ran on 5 May 2001. Airtrain Citylink has a licence from Queensland Transport under a BOOT scheme – build, own, operate and transfer – to build the rail line, to own and operate it, and hand entire infrastructure over to the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

after 35 years when the company will then cease to exist. The line connects seamlessly with the Queensland Rail City network and services use City network

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

in a commercial agreement with QR. While City network rolling stock is used, Airtrain does not form part of the Translink integrated

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

scheme, and therefore fares are not subsidised by the government. As a result, travel between the airport and City network stations in the

Brisbane central business district Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is also colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD", "the city", or simply "town". The CBD is located on a point ...

costs $19.80 one way and $37.60 return (as of December 2022; cheaper on-line). Travel on Airtrain services between ordinary City network stations, not involving airport travel, is charged at the normal Translink rate, including concession (pensioner) rates. In 2008, Brisbane's Airtrain ran an operating profit of $4.8 million, allowing Airtrain to pay dividends of $1.95 to its shareholders. Airtain is not subsidised by the Queensland Government, and its $220 million construction cost was entirely privately financed. This makes it one of a few known profitable public transport systems. In late 2012, UK pension fund Universities Superannuation Scheme bought Airtrain for . In 2024, the Queensland Government announced half-price tickets to Brisbane Airport for a 6-month period after negotiating a temporary subsidy deal with Airtrain.

Patronage

Initial passenger numbers on the service were well below expectations and the company nearly faced voluntary administration in 2003. However, in May 2005, Airtrain operated at a profit for the first time due to significant passenger growth – 1.12 million passengers in the 2004–2005 financial year, an increase of 40% – and a complex company restructure that cut costs by nearly half. Passenger numbers on the service have also steadily increased, now close to two million passengers each year. In 2008, 6% of visitors to the airport used an Airtrain service. This figure rose to 8% in 2011.

Line guide and services

Commencing at the Domestic Terminal, all services stop at the International Terminal and then all stations though the Brisbane CBD to at least Roma Street. The typical travel time between Domestic Terminal and Brisbane City is approximately 22 minutes (to Central). This travel time results in an average train speed of . Airport line services run every fifteen minutes during the morning and afternoon weekday peak hours, and every half hour during the off-peak. Most services continue as Gold Coast line services. Passengers for/from the Doomben,

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the northern side of the Caboolture River. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 29,534 people. Geography Caboolture is ...

, Shorncliffe and

Redcliffe Peninsula The Redcliffe Peninsula is a peninsula located in the City of Moreton Bay in the northeast of the Brisbane metropolitan area in Queensland, Australia. The area covers the suburbs of Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Moreton Island, Newport, R ...

lines change at Eagle Junction, Ferny Grove and Nambour and Gympie North lines at Bowen Hills, and all other lines at Central.

Proposed Skygate station

Brisbane Airport Corporation has proposed a new station at its Skygate retail park at the south-western edge of the airport. Discussions have taken place with Airtrain Holdings Limited and the Queensland Government.

Criticism

Brisbane Airtrain has been criticised in the media for its perceived high fares, monopoly and exclusivity rights over public transport access to Brisbane Airport, services not operating late enough into the evening, and operating significantly fewer services (632 per week) when compared against Perth's Airport train line (1019 per week).

Gallery

File:Brisbane Airtrain 02.jpg, A Queensland Rail NGR train at

Domestic Terminal Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...

File:Brisbane airport Domestic Station.jpg, Connecting concourse between the Domestic Terminals and Station File:Brisbane Airtrain 03.jpg, NGR train travelling between Domestic and International Terminals File:QRIMU109airint.jpg, IMU 109 at International Terminal railway station File:Kedron Brook & Airtrain Brisbane in Nundah 01.JPG, Airtrain line viaduct over the

Kedron Brook The Kedron Brook is a creek that flows through the northern suburbs of Brisbane in the South East Queensland, south-east region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features Kedron Brook arises from the confluence of Kedron Creek and Cedar Cree ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Airport Railway Line, Brisbane Brisbane railway lines Public transport in Queensland Brisbane Airport

Railway lines opened in 2001 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia 2001 establishments in Australia