First Queen Street Mall expansion in 15 years
An early-Christmas makeover is starting in Queen Street Mall, as the first step in a major expansion gets underway.
Queen Street Mall will soon undergo its first expansion in more than fifteen years, with major work scheduled for Albert Street as part of Cross River Rail – extending the popular strip along Albert Street between Elizabeth and Mary streets to create a pedestrian-friendly destination.
Brisbane City Council announced that stage one of the expansion was expected to start in December, with two new footpath dining sections to open between Elizabeth and Charlotte streets.
The remaining expansion stages are slated to follow in the coming months, bringing retail, dining and activations between the two streets. The final stage will be delivered between Charlotte and Mary streets.
Brisbane councillor Adam Allan said local community and businesses would be given notice of works well in advance.
“Expanding the mall into Albert Street will help us to deliver more to see and do for visitors and residents, who are already flocking to our CBD in droves,” Allan said.
Part of the expansion includes a new public plaza outside the new Albert Street underground station, featuring a tree-lined walkway and new seating options.Since being opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1982, Queen Street Mall underwent major refurbishments in 1999 and 2007.
More than forty years later, Queen Street Mall attracted an average of 220,000 pedestrians in October.
Allan said the project was a key step in creating a walkable link between Roma Street Parkland and the City Botanic Gardens.
Cross River Rail Delivery Authority CEO Graeme Newton said Albert Street Station, the CBD’s newest train station in more than 120 years, would improve Brisbane’s liveability.
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“Significant progress is being made on the new Albert Street station, including the installation of all the underground station’s escalators and construction beginning on the station’s massive 153-tonne canopy,” Newton said.
It was hoped the opening of the Albert Street Station as part of Cross River Rail would boost pedestrian activity and local business growth.
Albert Street traders will be incorporated into the Queen Street Mall Central Area Plan in the 2026/27 financial year.
Allan said Queen Street Mall would likely see a boost in foot traffic due to several upcoming pipeline projects, including Griffith University’s new CBD campus in the Treasury Building, Intercontinental Brisbane’s refurbishment of the Hilton Hotel, and ISPT’s precinct development plans for Wintergarden.
