A major milestone in Brisbane’s public transport network has just gone live. The Adelaide Street tunnel, part of Brisbane City Council’s Brisbane Metro project, officially opened on 29 September 2025, unlocking a dedicated connection between the South East and Inner Northern Busways. With over 1,400 bus and metro services travelling through the new tunnel every weekday, ensuring clear communication for safety and operations is critical.
Jacques Technologies, (has) delivered a cutting-edge Public Address (PA) and Emergency call point system tailored specifically for this challenging tunnel environment. Tunnel acoustics — marked by turbo fans, traffic noise, and high reverberation — make audio clarity difficult. To overcome this, the Jacques tunnel solution utilises specialised Axys speakers and an advanced IP-based technology backbone, allowing both pre-recorded and live announcements to be intelligible across the entire tunnel length. The Speech Transmission Index (STI) achieved in testing met the optimal range for clear and effective hearing — a crucial benchmark for commuter safety and confidence.
Emergency egress areas are fitted with Jacques Emergency Call Point Intercom units, enabling one-touch intercom calls directly to the Busways Control Room. These units, along with the PA system, are managed via the Jacques J650UI interface, which allows operators to deliver announcements to one, some, or all zones and respond to intercom calls seamlessly. Built on a scalable IP platform, every PA Zone Controller and HPU is connected via standard Ethernet, supporting both current operations and future expansion as Brisbane’s transport network evolves.
This solution is powered by patented tunnel speaker technology used in transit systems globally and backed by Jacques’ decades of audio engineering expertise. It represents a future-ready approach to tunnel communications — enhancing safety, clarity, and control beneath the heart of the city.