Kedron is part of Brisbane’s proposed northern Metro expansion, bringing renewed attention to how buses could move more efficiently along Gympie Road as the city investigates smaller vehicles for suburban routes. Fresh congestion figures show the challenge facing transport planners, even with earlier bus-priority improvements along the corridor.
Read: Kedron Residents Voice Concerns Over Potentially Hazardous Crossing on Gympie Road
On 21 October 2026, RACQ released findings showing that afternoon peak traffic averaged just 25.2 km/h on Gympie Road between Kedron and Beams Road at Carseldine. The same week, Council’s investigation into smaller Metro-style vehicles emerged as part of broader planning for public transport expansion across Brisbane.
Gympie Road congestion adds pressure to Metro planning
RACQ’s Annual Travel Speeds findings show that congestion added almost nine minutes to the afternoon journey between Kedron and Beams Road. The speed figure covers the full road section and does not measure traffic through Kedron separately.
Across South East Queensland, more than 70 per cent of the major road sections surveyed were slower during 2025 peak periods than in 2019. The results have prompted further calls for coordinated road and public transport investment rather than isolated congestion measures.
Kedron sits along the Northern Metro corridor, which Brisbane City Council is investigating between the CBD and Carseldine, via Lutwyche, Chermside and Aspley. The business case remains in development, with route alignment, infrastructure, depot locations and delivery stages yet to be settled.
Existing bus lanes provide a starting point
Gympie Road is already used by high-frequency bus services, including routes 333 and 340. Translink’s route information confirms that the 340 runs between Carseldine and Woolloongabba via the city, serving Kedron stops at Rode Road, Kitchener Road, Strathmore Street and Sadlier Street.
Route 333 also serves Gympie Road through Kedron, linking Chermside with Woolloongabba via the city. Both services use the northern corridor that could be affected by future changes to Metro operations.
Earlier bus-priority planning provides important context. The Northern Transitway was designed for a 2.3-kilometre section of Gympie Road between Sadlier Street in Kedron and Hamilton Road in Chermside, with dedicated bus lanes intended to improve reliability during peak periods.
Under the 2020 final design, the lanes were to operate on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The design retained stops near Coles at Strathmore and Castle streets following community concerns about access.
The planning also addressed intersections and turning movements, including changes near Boothby Street. Those earlier decisions show how bus travel times, local road access and on-street parking have already competed for space along Gympie Road.
Smaller vehicles remain under investigation
The latest proposal involves investigating smaller Metro-style vehicles that could operate beyond the dedicated busways used by Brisbane’s existing Metro fleet. Battery-electric buses are among the options reported to be under consideration, although no vehicle model, procurement decision or deployment timetable has been confirmed.
Smaller vehicles would not automatically eliminate delays at traffic signals or congested intersections. Their ability to offer more reliable journeys through Kedron would depend partly on the corridor design and the priority measures ultimately selected.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads is separately examining transport improvements between Herston and Carseldine through its Gympie Road Planning Program. The work covers road access, safety, active transport, network reliability and congestion.
Read: What You Need to Know About Gympie Road Bus Stops and On-Street Parking Proposal Changes
Final route and delivery timetable still to be decided
Brisbane City Council is developing the Metro expansions business case with Jacobs Group (Australia), covering proposed northern, eastern, southern and airport connections. The assessment will consider infrastructure improvements and delivery stages before final routes are determined.
Infrastructure Australia lists the expansions as a planning investment and identifies a $50 million Australian Government commitment supporting the business-case development. The national assessment does not amount to approval for constructing a Metro route through Kedron.
The outstanding issue is how future Metro services would differ from buses already using Gympie Road. No final Metro stops, additional bus lanes or traffic-signal changes have been announced specifically for the suburb under the current expansion proposal.
Published 23-Oct-2026
