North-West T-way
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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| Liverpool-Parramatta T-way | |
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|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Mode | Bus rapid transit line Under construction |
| Area | Western Sydney |
| Map colour | Aquamarine |
| Owner | Ministry of Transport |
| Design | |
| Length | 24 km |
| Stations | 30 |
| Connects | Parramatta Parklea Blacktown (branch) Rouse Hill |
| 2007 | Planned opening |
| Operations | |
| Operator(s) | Busways Hillsbus |
| Public transport | | |
The North-West T-way or North-West Transitway is a bus rapid transit line in the north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The t-way consists of two sections, one linking Parramatta railway station and the suburb of Rouse Hill, the other linking the suburbs of Blacktown and Parklea. The lines intersect at an interchange called "Burns" in Parklea. For the most part, stops are named for the streets they sit on.
The t-way was approved in February 2004 and is due for completion in December 2007. It will be the second of its type in Sydney: the Liverpool-Parramatta T-way has been in operation since February 2003.
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[edit] Design and construction
The t-way is a joint venture between the New South Wales Ministry of Transport and the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales. The project will be designed, built and maintained by Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd.
The 24-kilometre-long t-way will include:
- 30 stations
- seven new bridges
- one new underpass
- a cycleway and pedestrian facilities
The project was approved in February 2004 and construction began in mid 2005. Construction is expected to take just over two years and cost $524 million.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, many of the costly design mistakes made in the development of the Liverpool-Parramatta T-way have been avoided on the North-West T-way.[1]
[edit] Services
Private bus operators Busways and Hillsbus will operate North-West T-way services.
[edit] Parramatta–Rouse Hill stations
The 17-kilometre Parramatta–Rouse Hill serves the suburbs of Parramatta, Westmead, Old Toongabbie, Winston Hills, Bella Vista, Glenwood, Parklea, Kellyville, Mungerie Park and Rouse Hill. Bus services on this route will stop at:
- Parramatta
- Westmead
- Hospital
- Mons
- Briens
- Constitution Hill
- Fitzwilliam
- Johnstons
- Powers
- Abbott
- Joseph Banks
- Troubadour
- Norbrik
- Meurants
- Celebration
- Balmoral
- Burns (Interchange)
- Riley
- Merriville
- Mungerie Park[2]
[edit] Blacktown–Parklea stations
The seven-kilometre Blacktown–Parklea section serves the suburbs of Parklea, Quakers Hill, Kings Park, Kings Langley, Lalor Park and Blacktown. Bus services on this route will stop at:
- Blacktown
- Devitt
- Sackville
- Bessemer
- Turner
- Vardys
- James Cook[3]
- Wilson
- Sorrento
- Stanhope
- Burns (Interchange)
[edit] Transitways in Sydney
Transitways were conceived as an alternative to commuter railway services because of the lower cost and higher flexibility that they offer. Transitways can be constructed without the need for a dedicated corridor or tunnel. Buses can join and leave the transitway at various points along the route, giving the t-way a wider feeder area than rail.
The t-ways are built as separate bus-only roads where undeveloped railway and motorway corridors are available, and as bus-only lanes on existing roads.
The New South Wales Government advocated t-ways in order to meet the growing public transport needs of Western Sydney in a planning document called Action for Transport 2010. The plan called for 90-kilometre-long bus rapid transit network linking a number of major centres west of Strathfield. To date, only two t-ways have been greenlighted and only one, Liverpool-Parramatta, has been completed.
Transitways can only be used by rapid bus services, selected local bus services and emergency vehicles. Other motorists using a bus lane (except to turn or overtake) can be fined. Other bus-only roadways exist in Sydney including a bus roadway at Moore Park and a dedicated roadway in the centre of the M2 Hills Motorway. In addition, Sydney has a large and expanding network of bus-only lanes on main roads.
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ Baker, Jordan. 'Transport's vision splendid running at only half capacity'. Sydney Morning Herald. Aug. 25 2006[1]
- ^ This stop is listed as "Sanctuary" in some documents.
- ^ This stop is listed as "Orbital" in some documents, after the orbital motorway.
