The turn-up-and-go Brisbane Metro public transport system has notched up another milestone with early works starting in South Brisbane.

Work including geotechnical investigations, sewer pump station construction, piling and excavations have started on Council’s $944 million mass public transport system.

“This is a critical milestone for the Brisbane Metro. We have work ramping up at the Rochedale depot and now early works underway in the city centre to allow for the new underground station,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“We have shovels in the ground and our first Brisbane Metro pilot vehicle in on the way this year for trials and testing.

“This week we’ll have heavy machinery on site at Alexander Smith Place Park taking ground samples in preparation for construction of the new sewer pump station.

“This project is creating jobs and a world-class public transport system to ensure residents get home quicker and safer, while also catering for future city growth.

“These early works are a vital part of our plan to get Brisbane moving through an integrated transport network with less congestion and more travel options.

“The new underground station at the Cultural Centre will be a key part of Brisbane’s greater transport network and will help link the city to the suburbs, making it easier for you to connect to the people and places you love,” Cr Schrinner said.

To allow for the construction of the new Cultural Centre underground station, Urban Utilities will construct a new sewer pump station at Alexander Smith Place Park, with the existing pump station to be decommissioned upon completion.

The new sewer pump station will cater for the growth and development within South Brisbane and West End, offering customers an improved level of service in the longer term.

Other Brisbane Metro early works will involve the relocation of sewer mains, electrical infrastructure and an upgrade to the intersection of Peel Street, Grey Street and Stanley Place, to start in the coming months.

Once the pump station is built, Alexander Smith Place Park will be rejuvenated with plants, new street furniture and a drinking fountain.

The sewer pump station works are expected to take 12 months to complete at a construction cost of approximately $8.7 million, jointly funded by Council and Urban Utilities.

The early works required in South Brisbane comes after Council announced it was charging ahead with site preparation works at the new Metro depot site in Rochedale earlier this month.

In November, Cr Schrinner announced the new fleet of 60 high-capacity Metro vehicles would be fully electric and have zero tail-pipe emissions, with the first pilot vehicle to be built by world-leading electric vehicle manufacturers HESS and its partners.

An initial pilot vehicle is expected to arrive in Brisbane in 2020 to commence testing in local operating conditions.

The Australian Government have committed $300 million towards Brisbane Metro.

Brisbane Metro services are expected to begin by late 2023.