Internal documents seen by theHerald reveal the planned route changes for “region seven”,which covers large parts of the north shore and northern suburbs and is operated by private company Busways.
The shake-up is timed to coincide with the of the Metro City and Southwest rail line between Chatswood and Sydenham as early as July,as well as a for Sydney’s train network.
The proposed changes to bus routes are partly designed to funnel commuters onto the. A similar shake-up of was made in 2019 when the first stage of the metro line between Rouse Hill and Chatswood opened.
Under the latest planned adjustments,route 288 between the Sydney CBD and Epping station via the Warringah Freeway will instead terminate at Macquarie University where a metro train station is located.
Route 294 between the CBD and Macquarie University will be axed,while the 269 service will no longer extend from North Sydney to McMahons Point wharf,instead running only between North Sydney and a loop of Kirribilli.
In addition,route 525 from Parramatta to Strathfield will finish at Sydney Olympic Park instead of running all the way to Strathfield. The N91 night bus service from Macquarie Park to Bondi Junction will terminate at Park Street in the CBD.
The Macquarie University metro train station.Dion Georgopoulos
Route 115 will operate as a loop service between Chatswood and North Sydney instead of running into the CBD. Route 252 between Gladesville and the CBD will finish at North Sydney rather than run to King Street Wharf.
Likewise,route 261 from Lane Cove to the CBD will terminate at North Sydney instead of King Street Wharf.
Route 259 from the Macquarie Centre to Chatswood will be axed,and partially replaced by a new route – 516 – in a section between Chatswood and North Ryde.
As part of the changes,only bendy buses will operate on the 500X route from West Ryde to the CBD via Victoria Road in an effort to increase passenger capacity. The opening of the for the WestConnex tollway late last year caused congestion along,and led to greater demand for public transport.
Extra bendy buses – also referred to as articulated buses – will also run on the 120 route from Chatswood to the CBD.
Transport for NSW Co-ordinator-General Howard Collins said Busways was consulting staff to refine its draft plans for region seven services,and the final timetable would be based on patronage data and passenger feedback.
“The new timetable is being introduced as part of improvements to Sydney’s transport network,aiming to connect more buses to the Sydney Metro,” he said in a statement. “We will update the community once the plans are finalised.”
The agency declined to answer questions about what changes would be made to bus services in other parts of Sydney as a result of the opening of the metro rail line.
Rail,Tram and Bus Union state divisional president Peter Grech said the planned bus changes were another example of Transport for NSW messing with the system without regard for how it would affect people’s lives.
“People rely heavily on their local bus services. We need a transport system focused on improving services for commuters,not one focused on trying to funnel people onto a metro service in order to justify its build,” he said.
Busways was approached for comment.
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