The state government has announced that the Northern Beaches B-Line bus rapid transit line will be extended to Newport, and has also released an indicative network for the region once the B-Line begins operation later this year. It has been confirmed that L90 will remain as an off-peak only service with hourly buses running between 9am-3pm on Weekdays and 10am-7pm on weekends, with new route 199 between Manly and Palm Beach running every 30 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends to provide connections from the Upper Beaches to the B-Line. In addition new routes 146, E54 and E75 will also begin as new routes with the network change. See the new network here
Vivid Sydney – Transport Arrangements 26 May – 17 June 2017
Vivid Sydney is a major festival of light, music and ideas running in the Sydney CBD, Chatswood and Taronga Zoo precincts over 23 nights. There are many changes to transport arrangments for this event.
TRAINS
- Over 3000 extra services will operate throughout the event, especially on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
- Services at least every 5 minutes on the City Circle from 5pm-11pm Friday through Sunday.
- Services at least every 8 minutes on the T1 North Shore line between 5pm-11pm Friday through Sunday.
- Circular Quay Station will be closed on Weekends from 6pm-10pm.
- Extra Trains and carriages to on the BMT line, CCN line and the SCO line Friday through Sunday.
- Use Central or Town Hall stations for Darling Harbour, Wynyard for Barangaroo and Martin Place or Wynyard for Circular Quay.
Ferries
- Extra ferries on the F2 Taronga Zoo Line, every 30 minutes until 10pm.
- Circular Quay ferries are expected to fill quickly, have a backup plan.
Buses
- Circular Quay bound Services will terminate at Martin Place and Bridge Street Servives will terminate at Wynyard 5pm-11pm Friday through Sunday.
- Extra State Transit services will run on all major routes between 4pm-12am Friday through Sunday.
- Extra HillsBus services on routes 607X, 610X, 620X and M61 between 4pm-12am Saturday and Sunday.
- Extra Forest Coachlines services on route 271 from 5pm-11pm Sundays.
- Extra Buses to Taronga Zoo and between the Zoo and the Wharf.
- Routes 136, 257, 343 and M40 will divert in Chatswood to Archer Street
Light Rail
- Extra Services Friday through Sunday every 10 minutes from 4pm-12am
Timetable Changes – Inner West/Lane Cove/Lower North Shore/Ryde
From Sunday 4 June 2017, State Transit is introducing additional services as part of the Transport for NSW Growth Services Program. However some timetables will also change to accommodate these new trips.
Major Changes
- Route 252 extended to Gladesville via Linley Point and Hunters Hill
- Route 265 truncated to North Sydney
- Route 295 re-routed as Epping Station to North Epping Loop
- Route 430, Route 459 and Route 495 will no longer operate
- Route 458 truncated to Ryde
- New Route 530 from Burwood to Chatswood via Five Dock, Drummoyne, Hunters Hill and Lane Cove
- Route 536 reduced to weekday peak only
In addition the following services will recieve timetable changes, a number of these include extra services.
254, 269, 291, 285, 292, 500, 504, 506, 507, 515 and 518.
Western Sydney Bus Changes
From Sunday 28 May, route 751, 783, T72 and T74 bus services in Western Sydney will be changing to improve the bus network. These changes should providing better connections, more services and will extend some routes into new and developing areas.
- 751 Blacktown to Marsden Park via Colebee most services will be extended to run to and from Marsden Park. The route will also be extending along Alderton Drive to service the new Greenway Living Estate, including 3 new bus stops.
- 783 Penrith to Jordan Springs will be extended along Sinclair Parade, Flagship Ridge and Greenwood Parkway, including 13 new bus stops. 3 existing stops will be removed from the route, which will no longer run via Cullen Ave and Alinta Promenade.
- T72 Blacktown to Rouse Hill via Quakers Hill will be extended along Alex Avenue and Schofields Road to Rouse Hill Interchange including 6 new bus stops. Additional new stops will be also be added in the future when the Schofields Road upgrade is completed.
- T74 Blacktown to Riverstone via The Ponds and Schofields will change to run via Hambledon Road and Riverbank Drive instead of Ridgeline Drive. Services will no longer stop at 6 stops on Ridgeline Drive, instead 4 new stops will be adned along Riverbank Drive. Additional new stops will be added in the future once the Hambledon Road redevelopment is completed.
To accommodate these changes, there will also be some minor changes to the timetables across the Western Sydney network to improve reliability and punctuality.
Western Sydney Station Upgrades
The following stations will be recieving upgrade works begining this week.
- Glenfield Station
- Lidcombe Station
- Seven Hills Station
These works include upgrading and extending the canopies on Platform 1 and 2 at all of the stations and should continue through to September.These upgrades will provide better weather protection along with new lighting, additional indicator screens and signage to improve comfort and safety on platforms. While work on these upgrades take place there may be reduced space on platforms and access to some areas of the platform may be restricted at times.
Sydney Bus Strike – What Are My Options?
With the Bus Strike in the Inner West, you need to make alternative arrangements to get where you need to be! Choosing a differnt public transport option, walking, cycling or driving are all options you can choose.
Information on Bus Services
- No school bus services will be operating in the inner west or Sydney south, with parents advised to make alternative arrangements. School Opal passes will be valid on any mode of public transport.
- Routes 438 and 461 will operate a limited and modified service along Parramatta Rd during the morning and afternoon peak (6am-10am and 3pm-7pm). These services will operate in the peak direction only and are expected to fill quickly
- Metrobus Services (except M41) will continue to operate at a reduced frequency. These include M10, M20, M30 and M50.
- Cross-City routes that operate within the region will continue to operate at a reduced frequency. These include but are not limited to 348, 370, 400, 418 and 440.
In addition
- Real-time apps will not provide accurate information for modified services.
- Services that do run will be delayed with excessive congestion expected.
Other Public Transport Options
- Light Rail on the L1 line, including stops in Dulwich Hill, Lewisham, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rozelle Bay and Glebe
- Ferry Services on the F3 line, including stops in Sydney Olympic Park, Cabarita, Abbotsford, Chiswick, Drummoyne and Balmain.
- Train Services on the T1 or T2 lines including major stops at Rhodes, Sydney Olympic Park, Strathfield, Burwood, Ashfield and Newtown.
The Following List of Routes Will Have No Service Today
401, 406, 407, 408, 412, 413, 415, 422, 423, 425, 426, 428, 430, 431, 433, 436, 437, 439, 441, 442, 444, 445, 460, 462, 463, 464, 466, 470, 473, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 483, 487, 490, 491, 492, 493, 495, 502, 504, 508, 526, L23, L28, L37, L38, L39, M41, X04 and X25.
Sydney Bus Strike – What You Need To Know
STA services in the Inner West will not operate tomorrow as drivers strike in respone to the planned sell off of Inner West bus services. Services operated from Burwood, Kingsgrove Leichhardt and Tempe are affected.
Some limited services on major routes will still run in addition to routes serviced by depots that are not affected. These include most Victoria Road services and a limited number of M10,M20, M30, M50, 303, 370, 400, 418 and 4440 services. All of these services will be severely limited and not run to a timetable, don’t rely on them. Some routes in other areas will also be affected as they are operated by these depots.
The NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) announced the strike on Wednesday evening, saying it will begin at midnight and last for 24 hours. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union sys the strike will “affect all routes across the inner west and southern Sydney”. In a statement, the union said the strike was a reaction to Transport Minister Andrew Constance’s “betrayal of inner western and south Sydney commuters and public transport workers. This action is our members’ initial response to this outrageous action”.
Mr Preston said members of the public should make alternative arrangements to get to work and school, and urged Premier Gladys Berejiklian to intervene in the situation immediately. “Minister Constance needs to understand that you cannot treat the community and public transport workers with such contempt,” he said. “We call on the Premier to intervene as a matter of urgency and put a stop to this attack on our public transport network.”
In a statement on Wednesday evening, Mr Constance said he hoped workers would break the strike and turn up to work anyway. He said the government is sourcing a fleet of buses to operate a “more limited service in the areas of highest demand”. “This call for a strike is about union bosses putting themselves before customers, egged on by the Labor party,” Mr Constance said. “I hope the majority of bus drivers who want to deliver a better service to customers ignore their union bosses and show up to work tomorrow.
The Begining of the End – Plans to Privatise Sydney Buses
Tonight for the first time, the NSW government has confirmed what has been long expected. It plans to privatise the State Tranist Authoritiy Sydney Buses services.
The contract for Region 6, covering most Sydney’s Inner West including Burwood, Drummoyne, Leichhardt, Newtown, Olympic Park, Rockdale and Strathfield, will be put out to private tender. It is one of four regions operated by the government owned State Transit Authority.
The tender will begin in July this year and is expected to be completed with the new operteor in place by July 2018. Large companies such as Keolis Downer and Transit Systems ahve expressed an interested in the lucrative contract.
‘There have been improvements in recent years, but the State Transit (Authority) still lags a long way behind its industry competitors in measures like on-time running and reliability,’ The services had some of the worst on-time running results last year, and attracted the highest number of complaints out of Sydney’s metropolitan area in recent years.’ The Transport Minister Andrew Constance said in a statement on Monday.
Labor’s spokeswoman for transport Jodi McKay says she fears the plans are a prelude to a wholesale sell-off of Sydney’s transport network. ‘This is a government that is rapidly getting out of the business of running public services, Buses should be run for the public benefit, not for private profit.’
About 1200 bus drivers will be affected by the decision, with the workforce highly unionised. The Rail Tram and Bus Union has signalled it will engage in strike action should the tenders go ahead as they claim they have been mislead and betrayed by the government.
Rail Tram and Bus Union divisional secretary Chris Preston said workers had been told as recently as December that STA’s contract for bus regions in Sydney would remain after a restructure that included the axing of 200 back-office staff. “This is the biggest betrayal this Minister Constance can do to these workers. The rest of Sydney’s bus drivers will be furious as well,” he said.
It is understood that the other regions will be privatised once major new infrastructure is in place. Sydney Metro in Region 7, The B-Line in Region 8 and the CSELR in region 9. It is believed that the operators of those services will take over the STA buses as well.
Opal Price Increases
From July 3 2017, Opal fares will increase in line with inflation. It is understood that this will now be a yearly increase and not a one off.
This is a change to the previous fare freeze related to Opal fares and also a rejection of Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s suggested average annual increase of 4.2 per cent.
A Summary:
- Limited 2.4 per cent CPI only increase to Opal fares from July 3
- Gold Opal remains at $2.50 all day travel
- Popular ‘Transfer Discount’ to remain
Sample CPI Changes.
- A train fare from Penrith to Town Hall during peak hour will increase from $6.46 to $6.61
- A bus fare from Blacktown to Baulkham will increase from $4.50 to $4.61
- A ferry fare from Manly to Circular Quay will increase from $7.18 to $7.35
- A light rail fare from Dulwich Hill to The Star will increase from $3.50 to $3.58
Premier Apology – Granville Train Disaster
Today Premier Gladys Berejiklian has apologised to the victims of the Granville Train Diaster. Survivors, first responders and relatives of victims sat in the gallery as the Premier made her apology.
She expressed her profound sy,patties o the victims of the tradegdy including families, survivors and the first responders. “I express my genuine heartfelt sorrow for the terrible trauma you suffered at the time and the devastating pain and loss that you’ve had to live with for many years since.”
She also acknowledged that nothing including her apology could make up for the pain and suffering. ‘There is nothing we can do to take the pain away, but we hope today goes to acknowledging that and supporting you into the future.’
Various other members including Minister for Transport Andrew Constance, Opposition Leader Luke Foley and Member for Granville also spoke.
On the morning of January 18, 1977, 83 people died and over 200 more were injured when the train derailed causing a bridge to collapse onto the commuter train travelling from the Blue Mountains
Transport NSW Blog 
