Roma Street Busway Station: The Complete, Up-to-Date Guide (2026)

Roma Street Busway station consists of two platforms on Brisbane Northern Busway, is situated right next to Roma Street Railway station, and is undergoing construction at present time under the Cross River Rail project – meaning that the platform arrangement described in most guidebooks is already outdated. When planning your trip to Roma Street this month, the very first thing that should be taken into account is that platform 1 of the busway station has moved its location on 10 August 2026, and the changes will continue during all the rest of the year.

We track Brisbane transit infrastructure changes closely for our own route planning, and Roma Street is the station where outdated blog posts cause the most wasted time — people follow directions to a platform entrance that moved months ago. This guide is built from current Translink and Cross River Rail source data, not a static snapshot.

What Is Roma Street Busway Station?

This station is Translink-managed transport hub on Northern Busway and belongs to Department of Transport and Main Roads and managed by Transport for Brisbane. It consists of two platforms and is serviced by about 32 bus lines including Brisbane Metro. Roma Street busway station was opened on 19 May 2008 due to the expansion of the Northern Busway to King George Square.

Important 2026 Update: Roma Street Is Mid-Construction, Here’s What Changed

This is the part most articles about this station get wrong, because they were written before the works started. Roma Street station is being rebuilt as part of Cross River Rail, and the busway platforms have physically moved more than once in the past 18 months:

Platform 2, the train platforms, and the Coach Terminal access have stayed unchanged through all of this. Buses that used the old platform 1 location have moved to the new western section, reachable via new stairs and lifts inside the station entrance.

What this means practically:

• Expect signage, temporary fencing, and noise near the site — construction runs 24 hours Monday to Friday and 6:30am to 6:30pm on Saturdays. Cross River Rail
• Oversized deliveries sometimes use the busway itself and may happen overnight, so night travellers may notice lane restrictions.
• If a route planner or an old screenshot tells you platform 1 is somewhere specific, verify it against the live Translink stop page before you rely on it — the physical location has changed three times in about a year.

Platform 1 vs Platform 2: Current Layout

Don’t assume symmetry between the two. Platform 1’s entrance moved to accommodate the new underground Cross River Rail station being built beneath the site; Platform 2 was left alone because it wasn’t in the construction footprint for this phase.

Full Route List (Verified)

Routes confirmed as stopping at Roma Street busway include:

High-frequency / Metro: M1, M2
CityGlider: 61 (to Ashgrove via Paddington)
BUZ and standard routes: 134, 205, 222, 325, 330, 331, 333, 340, 341, 345, 349, 350, 351, 352, 357, 359, 363, 376, 385, 390, 426, 431, 443, 444, 446, 450, 453, 454, 455, 456, 460
Peak-only and regional services: P343, P426, P443, P455, P456, R296, R395, R580, R581, R584, R585, R591, R594–R599, R604

Cross-check your specific route against the Translink stop page for platform 1 or platform 2 before travel — regional and peak routes shift more often than the core Metro and BUZ lines.

How to Transfer to Roma Street Railway Station

Roma Street railway station has 10 platforms and connects to the Airport, Gold Coast, Beenleigh, Ferny Grove, Caboolture, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich/Rosewood, Shorncliffe, Cleveland, Doomben, and Redcliffe Peninsula lines, plus long-distance Tilt Train and Spirit of Queensland services.

1. Exit the busway platform via the marked pedestrian path — not the road crossing.
2. Follow signage to “Roma Street Station.” Since the August 2026 change, platform 1 users now have a more direct route via the new internal stairs/lifts rather than looping around outside.
3. Tap off your busway trip before entering the rail concourse.
4. Check the departure board for your rail platform number (1 of 10).
5. Tap on again for the train leg — bus and rail are billed as separate trips even on a fast transfer.

The Brisbane Coach Terminal Moved: Here’s Where It Actually Is

This trips up a lot of travellers, especially interstate visitors following old directions. Brisbane Coach Terminal was located on the third level of Brisbane Transit Centre before, but the building was demolished to give the place to the Cross River Rail station. At the moment the coach terminal is operating from the temporary premises on Parklands Crescent near Platform 10 of Roma Street station and will operate there for another 5-10 years until the station is completed.

If you’re arriving on an interstate or regional coach and expecting the old Transit Centre, you’ll need Parklands Crescent instead — it’s a separate entrance from both busway platforms.

Fares, go card & Tapping On/Off — What Trips People Up

• Busway and rail trips are charged as separate legs even when the physical transfer takes under five minutes. Forgetting to tap off the bus before walking to the train platform results in an incomplete-trip fare, not a free transfer.
• go card top-ups and account management are handled through Translink’s dedicated go card portal, and contactless bank card payments are also accepted for standard trips.
• If you use a debit or credit card instead of a go card and get charged incorrectly, Translink’s Ticketing Assistant tool handles fare adjustments — most first-time visitors don’t know this exists.

Accessibility & Safety

The Roma Street busway station is wheelchair-accessible at both platforms via lifts, ramped access, and tactile paving. Since the area is an active construction site, there may have been changes to accessible pathways along with the movement of the platform 1 construction – if you have special needs, it would be best to check out Translink’s accessibility website prior to travelling instead of assuming that the old layout still applies.

In case of safety issues or accidents at the transport system, the 24-hour Translink telephone number (13 12 30) is available round-the-clock.

What Roma Street Will Look Like After Cross River Rail

This is the context most competitor articles skip entirely, and it explains why the station keeps changing. The Cross River Rail project is constructing a new high capacity underground station in Roma Street making it into Queensland’s biggest transport intermodal station, which was dubbed by the project “Grand Central Station” capable of handling more than 230,000 passengers per week by 2036. The refurbishment includes elongation of busway platform 1 and updating of the pedestrian subway joining all 10 rail platforms.

The main idea here is that the disruptions you’re experiencing are not a temporary glitch but a multi-year process – expect some further changes to last until 2027 as the underground station is nearing its completion.

Mistakes Even Regular Commuters Make

• Trusting an old map or screenshot for platform 1’s entrance — it’s moved three times since mid-2025.
• Confusing the busway station with the railway station — they’re adjacent but have separate platform numbering and separate tap-on requirements.
• Heading to the old Transit Centre for a coach instead of the temporary terminal on Parklands Crescent.
• Not tapping off the bus before walking to the train platforms, resulting in a fare adjustment hassle later.
• Ignoring construction noise/signage as “wrong station” — night deliveries and lane closures are normal during this build phase, not a sign you’re in the wrong place.

Roma Street Busway vs King George Square vs Central

If your trip involves transferring to a train, a regional coach, or you’re heading to Roma Street Parkland, this stop is worth the extra few minutes’ walk over King George Square. For planning a wider Brisbane day around this interchange, a route-mapping resource like ausinside.com’s Brisbane transit planning guide can help you sequence stops around the current construction disruptions rather than around outdated maps.

FAQs

Has Roma Street busway station’s layout actually changed recently?
Yes. Busway platform 1’s access point moved in June 2026 and again permanently on 10 August 2026 as part of the Cross River Rail rebuild. Platform 2 is unchanged.

Where do interstate/regional coaches depart from now?
The temporary Brisbane Coach Terminal on Parklands Crescent, next to Platform 10 of Roma Street railway station — not the old Transit Centre, which was demolished.

Is Roma Street busway station the same as Roma Street railway station?
No. They’re adjacent but separate facilities with different platform numbering and separate fare taps.

Will the construction disruption end soon?
Not immediately. Cross River Rail’s Roma Street works are running through the rest of 2026, including concrete removal from September, as the site becomes a new underground “Grand Central” interchange.

How do I check the current platform status before I travel?
Check the live Translink stop pages (platform 1, platform 2) or Cross River Rail’s Roma Street construction updates rather than a static map or older article.