Credit: Nicolas Weldingh via Unsplash
Queensland Rail is seeking a single out-of-home advertising partner to exclusively manage printed and digital advertising inside trains operating across South East Queensland, setting up one of the largest rail-based OOH opportunities in the state, AdNews can reveal.
The tender covers commercial OOH advertising services across rollingstock operating on the SEQ network, including trains owned by Queensland Rail and the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
While advertising will appear across both fleets, the formal contract will be held solely with Queensland Rail under an existing arrangement that allows advertising on DTMR-owned rollingstock.
For media agencies and OOH operators, the scale is material. The SEQ rail network spans 154 stations and runs 8,503 services each week.
Across FY25, passengers took 54.9 million trips on the network, an increase of more than 16% compared with FY24, reinforcing rail’s role as a high-frequency commuter environment with consistent audience exposure.
The successful bidder will secure a five-year agreement starting July 1, with an option to extend for a further three years.
Queensland Rail will structure the contract around a revenue share with a minimum guaranteed amount, balancing certainty for the rail operator with commercial upside for the advertising partner tied to sales performance.
The exclusive nature of the contract means the appointed provider will control all interior train advertising inventory across the SEQ network for the duration of the term, positioning the role as both a media sales and asset management function rather than a brand-led advertising placement.
The tender closes at 2pm AEST on February 27. Queensland Rail plans to complete evaluation and approval to award by April 24, 2026, with contract execution scheduled for June 12, ahead of the July commencement.
Queensland Rail currently manages its own media and communications through an internal Brand, Communications, and Media team, focused on stakeholder engagement and reputation management rather than outsourcing core media activity.
The OOH tender sits outside that function, carving out a standalone commercial advertising role tied directly to passenger-facing assets.
With passenger numbers rising and a long contract horizon on offer, the tender presents a rare opportunity for an OOH operator to lock in exclusive access to a large, repeat commuter audience across South East Queensland’s rail network, under a model designed to scale alongside network usage.
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