Cross River Rail by Hassell

By unlocking critical bottlenecks and streamlining passenger experience, the city-shaping Cross River Rail marks a new era in transport for both the Australian city of Brisbane and the surrounding region of South East Queensland.

Title:: Cross River Rail
Architect:: Hassell
Category:: Community/; Transportation
Completed:: 2026
Photographers:: Hassell

As South East Queensland’s population approaches five million in the next decade and Brisbane prepares to become the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Host City, connectivity across the region becomes critical.

Cross River Rail will deliver a once-in-a-generation city-shaping project, facilitating urban regeneration at a scale Brisbane has not seen before. The impact of the rail network expansion will redefine the way the people of Brisbane and South East Queensland move through the region — with a higher frequency, increased capacity, and an experience designed for an inclusive, subtropical city.

Hassell’s early involvement supported a shift from solving an emerging rail capacity problem to a holistic approach that delivers for people and the environment. From increasing the tree canopy around stations to drawing breezes inside and sunlight deep underground, an integrated approach to architecture, landscape architecture and urban design ensures a cohesive journey from kerb to carriage to destination.

The 10.2-kilometre Cross River Rail project includes four new underground stations and precincts — Roma Street, Albert Street, Woolloongabba and Boggo Road — and eight existing surface station upgrades and expansions including Exhibition Station and the Dutton Park to Salisbury Line. The nearly six kilometres of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and city centre will be a welcome expansion of the single rail-bridge crossing and two central city stations.

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“This megaproject is a defining moment for Queensland and vital as our population booms.”

Annastacia Palaszczuk Queensland Premier

STATION DESIGN — Designing for place and experience

The people, history and culture of this subtropical Australian region are front and centre of the Cross River Rail experience. The warm and sunny climate and outdoor lifestyle of Brisbane and Gold Coast are echoed in the shady and inviting station precincts as much as the light shafts that illuminate station concourses.

Brisbane’s proud Indigenous history comes alive in an extensive First Nations Art Program that is embedded in the visual identity of stations and precincts.

Designing for an inclusive, dignified and intuitive urban transport experience is central to the seamless transition from character neighbourhoods through the bustling city centre and beyond.

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Professionals used

HassellArchitectsQueensland

ARCHITECTURE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

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ARCHITECTURE

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Hassell

Architects

Queensland

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hassellstudio.com

Hassell. Our purpose is to design the world’s best places – places people love.Globalisation, climate change, urbanisation, and digitisation present new opportunities and challenges for how we live.In this fast-changing context, we bring together the best designers and thinkers in a unique collaborative process that results in both beautiful design and measurable value.We work across architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and urban design - a rich multi-disciplinary mix of skills and perspectives that unlocks the economic, social and cultural value of projects.We combine our creative design expertise with capabilities in strategy, research, technology and experience design, and we regularly collaborate with experts and partners from further afield.Through our work, we’re trying to build a more inclusive, sustainable future for communities - and create a more socially and ecologically resilient world.Our clients look to us for more than our design skills. They want us to help them unlock value for their business and their end users – and find ways to better connect people.