Brisbane's busiest rail stations south of Roma Street will shut down over the Christmas period to allow for a $56 million signalling upgrade.
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The upgrades are planned for the line between Roma Street and Corinda, with all trains stopped between Saturday, December 22, and Saturday, December 29.
The Bowen Hills service to Albion, Park Road and Darra stations will close from Christmas Day to Boxing Day and then close again on Saturday, December 29.
Buses will replace the affected trains, with affected travellers not required to tap on and off for bus trips.
Queensland Rail chief executive Nick Easy said the installations would "future-proof" the rail lines and reduce the need for future maintenance.
“The rail signalling system through this area is nearing the end of its service life and over the eight-day closure Queensland Rail crews will work around the clock to complete final commissioning and testing works on this major $56 million overhaul,” Mr Easy said.
He said Queensland Rail was working with TransLink to ensure the additional buses required would not affect normal bus routes and travellers would have similar travel times.
The project would involve more than 100 Queensland Rail employees and was estimated to require 10,000 hours of labour.
Two additional track crossovers will also be developed near Milton station during the shutdown to help provide more flexibility for trains during special events.
Mr Easy said Queensland Rail usually saw a 50 per cent reduction in the number of trips taken over the Christmas period, making it the best time to shut down the rail lines.
“Due to the complex nature of the upgrade, these commissioning works can only be carried out when no trains are operating, and our teams require uninterrupted access to the infrastructure," he said.
