Qld govt wants second river rail crossing

A second river rail crossing for Brisbane won't include buses, Queensland's Labor government has confirmed.

The former government's BaT (bus and train) tunnel was the idea of a "frustrated engineer", Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said, referring to ex-Premier Campbell Newman.

"We need a second river crossing in Brisbane," she said.

"What that will look like we are still deliberating and we'll give some options for Building Queensland to consider."

However, Mr Newman's plan to have buses and trains in one tunnel is definitely off the table.

"If we want to stop the chaos of public transport gridlock that's due in the coming years then we need to build another river crossing," Ms Trad said.

"What we need is proper transport planners and technicians advising government, not a frustrated engineer who wanted to put trains and buses together in a tunnel."

She said transport experts have advised her that having two modes of public transport in the one tunnel would open the city to substantial risk if that tunnel was to be disrupted.

Bus congestion around Victoria Bridge would be addressed separately, she added.

However, she also admitted the alignments of the BaT tunnel may be worth incorporating into the second river crossing.