Footy fans are being encouraged to plan their travel to weekend fixtures across South East Queensland as major track works are undertaken on the CBD and southern train lines.
The staging of three AFL and five NRL games in SEQ on Saturday and Sunday due to COVID outbreaks in NSW and Victoria will coincide with track closures for Queensland Rail maintenance and Cross River Rail construction works.
From the first service on Saturday until the last service on Sunday, tracks will be closed on the CBD, Beenleigh, Cleveland, Gold Coast, Ipswich/Rosewood and Springfield lines, with timetabled railbuses to replace trains from Bowen Hills and Albion to Corinda, Lindum and Yeerongpilly stations.
Major footy fixtures in SEQ this weekend include:
- Saturday 3pm – South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. New Zealand Warriors (NRL) at Sunshine Coast Stadium
- Saturday 3.15pm – Brisbane Lions vs. Gold Coast Suns (AFL) at The Gabba
- Saturday 5.30pm – Manly Sea Eagles vs. Wests Tigers (NRL) at Suncorp Stadium
- Saturday 7.35pm – Penrith Panthers vs. Brisbane Broncos (NRL) at Suncorp Stadium
- Sunday 12.30pm – Sydney Swans vs. Fremantle Dockers (AFL) at Metricon Stadium
- Sunday 1.50pm – St George-Illawarra Dragons vs. Gold Coast Titans (NRL) at Cbus Super Stadium
- Sunday 4.05pm – Canterbury Bulldogs vs. Cronulla Sharks (NRL) at Cbus Super Stadium
- Sunday TBC – Essendon Bombers vs. GWS Giants (AFL) at Metricon Stadium
Details of any additional shuttle services and free travel arrangements are available on the event page on the TransLink website.
Head of TransLink Sally Stannard urged customers to be patient when travelling on public transport this weekend and allow extra time for their journey.
"It is really important that anyone using public transport this weekend plans their journey in advance by visiting translink.com.au or calling 13 12 30," Ms Stannard said.
"The track closures this weekend are necessary and have been scheduled for some time, so we have worked hard to minimise customer disruptions for the extra footy fixtures confirmed for SEQ in recent days.
"We're asking customers to please be prepared and patient on our services this weekend as journeys may take a little longer and require transfers along the way.
"We also recommend travelling as early as possible as well as waiting a little longer to travel post-game, in order to avoid large crowds.
"We remain committed to getting fans to and from games safely and together we can make their footy experience a memorable one."
Ms Stannard said TransLink's COVID-Safe Public Transport Plan outlined a range of initiatives introduced in response to the pandemic, including:
- Increased cleaning and sanitisation of vehicles, stations and touch points
- A Service Capacity Tracker to provide customers with forecasted patronage for their service
- Additional bus and train services in and out of the Brisbane CBD on weekdays
- Hand sanitiser at major train and bus stations
- Cashless ticketing on SEQ services
- Rear-door boarding on selected bus services where practical
- Scheduling larger vehicles on busier routes in peak periods
- Regular updates via our digital channels (TransLink website, app and social media channels) and on-the-ground signage and announcements where relevant
"In line with current health guidelines, customers are required to wear masks when travelling on public transport in most of South East Queensland," Ms Stannard said.
"If and when this requirement is lifted, we'd still encourage customers to carry a mask and consider wearing one when social distancing is not possible.
"Customers are also asked to ‘leave a gap’ where possible at stops and stations and on-board services.
We're looking forward to enjoying another big weekend of sport with our customers on Saturday and Sunday."
For more information, visit translink.com.au or call 13 12 30.
