Is the CityCat running today?
Live ferry status · updates automatically
Brisbane's river is the best commute in the city right up until the weather turns. Fast flow, debris, fog and king tides all pause the ferries, and it happens more often than visitors expect. Here's the live status, why it happens, and how to keep moving when the boats stop.
Live departures · South Bank terminal
The next ferries from the network's busiest terminal — if these are flowing, the river is running.
Loading live departures…
Why the river stops the boats
CityCats share the river with everything the weather throws into it. After heavy rain the flow speeds up and carries debris that can damage hulls, so services pause until it clears. Fog on winter mornings can hold the first runs, king tides can make terminal boarding unsafe, and severe wind closes the river outright. None of it means anything is broken — it's the trade-off for the best-view commute in Brisbane.
Your backup when ferries pause
The riverside suburbs keep their buses when the boats stop — and the journey planner reroutes you automatically because it works from live data. Every ferry terminal has a page with its live board and nearby alternatives on our stations and stops directory, and in a proper storm the storm guide covers what happens to the rest of the network too.
CityCat questions
Why do CityCats stop running in bad weather?+
Ferries are the first services pulled when conditions turn: fast river flow and debris after heavy rain, thick fog, king tides that make terminals unsafe to board, and severe wind. It's a safety call, and services resume once the river settles — the live panel above shows any current suspension.
How do I get around when the ferries are suspended?+
Riverside suburbs keep their buses, and the train line covers the South Bank side of the river. Plan your exact trip with the live journey planner, which routes you around a ferry suspension automatically rather than assuming the timetable.
How long do ferries stay suspended after flooding?+
It depends on the river: after minor weather it can be hours, after major flooding it can be days or longer if terminals are damaged. There's no fixed rule, so check the live status here rather than guessing.
Does the flat fare cover the CityCat?+
Yes — CityCats, CityHopper and cross-river ferries are part of the Translink network, so the flat 50 cent fare applies like any other trip.
More live guides
🚆 Are the trains running on time? →
Live train delays and cancellations right now, and which lines cop it most.
📅 Public holiday train & bus timetables →
Do trains run on holidays? The live holiday arrangements as they're announced.
🎒 School holiday bus timetables →
What changes on the buses each school break, live for the current holidays.
⛈️ Storms, flooding & your commute →
What Brisbane weather does to ferries, buses and trains, with live alerts.
Live information on this page comes from TransLink's service alerts feed and updates automatically. Plan any trip with the journey planner.