Brisbane 2032 isn't a one-city Games — it's a whole-of-state event, and the transport plan reflects that. Queensland's 2032 Delivery Plan pairs roughly $7.1 billion in venue works with more than $9 billion in Bruce Highway upgrades alone, plus new rail lines, faster connections to the Gold Coast, and a brand-new line to the Sunshine Coast Airport.
Most of it is being built years ahead of the Games, which means some of it — faster Gold Coast rail, Bruce Highway safety works — will already be finished and simply part of how Queensland moves by the time 2032 arrives. Other pieces are Games-specific and will only make sense in the context of spectator crowds and event schedules. Here's the shape of it as currently confirmed.
New Lines & Faster Connections
The biggest legacy pieces of the Games are on rail — most of it useful well before and long after 2032.
"The Wave" — Beerwah to Birtinya
A new direct heavy rail line linking with a metro-style hub that connects through to Maroochydore and Sunshine Coast Airport. Delivered in two stages: Beerwah to Caloundra, then Caloundra to Birtinya.
Logan & Gold Coast Faster Rail
Doubles the track between Kuraby and Beenleigh, allowing all-stops and express trains to run independently — plus upgraded, more accessible stations and better park 'n' ride facilities.
New Stations & Metro Expansion
Additional Brisbane rail stations and an expanded Brisbane Metro network, aimed at moving Games-time crowds without leaning entirely on roads.
Signalling Upgrade (ETCS Level 2)
A new European Train Control System rollout across the Gold Coast–Brisbane–Sunshine Coast corridor, allowing more frequent, more reliable services across the whole network.
Highway & Corridor Upgrades
Road remains the backbone of Queensland travel, and it's where charter and coach transport will feel the changes most directly.
Bruce Highway, Brisbane to Cairns
Safety, flood resilience and capacity upgrades along the full length of the state's main north–south corridor, including the Tiaro Bypass, Rockhampton Ring Road, and Goorganga Plains flood works near Proserpine.
M1 Upgrades
Capacity works on the M1 motorway, the primary road link between Brisbane and the Gold Coast — one of the busiest corridors in the state on a normal day, let alone during the Games.
New Bus Corridors
Dedicated bus priority on the Old Cleveland Road and Gympie Road corridors, cutting journey times and improving reliability for eastern and northern Brisbane services.
Cairns Western Arterial Road
Upgrades between the Redlynch Connector and Captain Cook Highway, improving reliability for the Cairns host region.
Planning Around the Build
A few honest, practical notes for anyone planning travel in the lead-up to the Games.
- Expect construction disruption before the Games, not duringMost industry analysis points to 2026–2027 as the peak disruption window for road-based travel, as several major projects run concurrently. By Games time in 2032, the bulk of this work should be complete and operating as permanent infrastructure.
- Charter and shuttle transport will matter more than usualBrisbane's rail network is smaller than recent host cities like Paris or Tokyo, so road-based transport — including charter and shuttle services — is expected to carry more of the Games-time load than at some other recent Olympics.
- Regional connections open up regional touringBetter road and rail links to Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, and the Wide Bay-Burnett region make it easier to pair a Games trip with time in parts of Queensland that used to mean a much longer drive.
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Enquire NowThe Wave — Rail to the Sunshine Coast
The single biggest change to how South-East Queensland moves is the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line, branded The Wave. The Sunshine Coast is the largest urban area in Australia without a direct passenger rail connection, and that ends with this project.
Stage 1 runs 19 kilometres from Beerwah to Caloundra with stations at Beerwah, Bells Creek, Caloundra, Aroona and Birtinya. Stage 2 continues roughly 7 kilometres to Birtinya. A final link carries through Maroochydore to the Sunshine Coast Airport. Construction was set to begin in 2026 with delivery targeted for 2032.
The practical effect is significant: government estimates put a Caloundra-to-Brisbane trip at least 45 minutes faster than driving. Roughly seven kilometres of Stage 1 runs on viaducts, including ten bridges crossing roads, creeks and the Bruce Highway.
Cross River Rail and the Brisbane Network
Cross River Rail is the piece that unlocks the rest. It is a 5.9-kilometre twin tunnel under the Brisbane River and CBD, with new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street, plus an upgraded Exhibition station.
Exhibition station matters more than its size suggests — it serves the RNA Showgrounds, which will be both the Athletes Village and a competition venue, and it currently operates only for the Ekka and special events.
Alongside it sit the Brisbane Metro expansion, faster rail to the Gold Coast, and the Coomera Connector — sometimes called the Second M1 — running between Loganholme and Nerang east of the Pacific Motorway.
The Bruce Highway Programme
More than $9 billion is committed to Bruce Highway upgrades and targeted safety works, which is the largest single line in the transport programme and the one most relevant to anyone driving in Queensland rather than attending the Games.
The works focus on safety, capacity and flood resilience along the spine of the state. Major individual projects include the Rockhampton Ring Road — 17.4 kilometres of new roadway with a new Fitzroy River crossing — and the Tiaro Bypass, a four-lane bypass improving flood immunity north of Gympie.
Because these are staged across the years before 2032, much of it will simply be finished and part of normal Queensland driving well before the Games arrive.
What This Means If You Are Travelling Before 2032
Six years of major construction has consequences for ordinary travel, and they cut both ways.
The disruption is real. Expect roadworks on the Bruce Highway corridor, staged closures around Cross River Rail stations, and construction traffic around Victoria Park, Bowen Hills and Spring Hill. Journey times through those areas are less predictable than usual.
The benefits arrive progressively rather than all at once in 2032. Faster Gold Coast rail, Bruce Highway safety works and parts of the Metro expansion will be carrying passengers years earlier. For anyone visiting Queensland between now and the Games, the network improves noticeably each year.
Getting Between the Three Host Zones
The distances between the Games zones are the thing most international visitors underestimate. Brisbane to the Gold Coast is about 80 kilometres, roughly an hour by road outside peak. Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast is 100 to 110 kilometres depending on which part, an hour to ninety minutes.
That is comfortably manageable as a day trip — it is what half of Brisbane does most weekends — but it is not the ten-minute hop between venues that a single-city Games offers. Attending events in two zones on the same day is possible but tight, and it is worth checking session times against travel before booking tickets.
By 2032 both corridors should be materially faster than today: faster rail to the Gold Coast, and The Wave running north.
Airports and Arriving for the Games
Brisbane Airport is the main international gateway and sits about 15 kilometres from the CBD, connected by the Airtrain in 20 to 25 minutes. Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta handles domestic and some international services and sits at the southern end of the light rail corridor. Sunshine Coast Airport at Marcoola is the third, and the one that gains a public transport connection under The Wave.
For a Games period, spreading arrivals across the three is likely to be considerably less painful than everyone funnelling through Brisbane.
Public Transport During the Games
Details of Games-period transport arrangements will not be confirmed for years, but the pattern from previous Olympics is consistent and worth knowing. Event tickets typically include public transport on the day of the event. Road closures around venues are extensive. Park-and-ride sites operate on the fringes rather than parking anywhere near a venue.
Queensland's 50-cent flat fare is the wildcard — it is currently permanent and legislated, and if it survives to 2032 it would make Brisbane among the cheapest host cities ever to move around.