North-West T-way

North-West T-Way
Overview
Type Bus rapid transit
System T-ways
Status Active
Locale Sydney
Termini Parramatta; Blacktown
Rouse Hill; Parklea
Stations 31
Services 2
Operation
Opened March 2007 (Parramatta - Merriville)
November 2007 (Blacktown - Parklea)
Owner Transport for NSW
Operator(s) Busways
Hillsbus
Technical
Line length 24 km (15 mi)

The North-West T-way is a bus rapid transit line in the north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. T-way is short for rapid bus transitway.

The T-way consists of two sections, one linking Parramatta railway station and Rouse Hill, the other linking Blacktown and Parklea. The lines intersect at Burns interchange in Parklea. For the most part, stops are named for the streets they are located upon.

The T-way was approved in February 2004 and the Merriville to Parramatta section opened on 10 March 2007. Sanctuary and Rouse Hill opened on 25 September 2007 upon the opening of the Rouse Hill Town Centre development.[1] The final section, the Blacktown to Parklea branch, opened 4 November 2007. The T-way is the second in Sydney: the Liverpool-Parramatta T-way has operated since February 2003.

Design and construction

Abbott T-Way Station in Seven Hills

The T-way was a joint venture between the New South Wales Ministry of Transport and the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales. The A$330 million contract to design, built and maintain until 2017 was awarded to Leighton Contractors in 2005.[2][3]

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.[4]

The 24-kilometre-long T-way includes:[5]

Criticisms

The T-way and its operations has come under criticism in several areas. Even before its opening, the Roads and Traffic Authority was criticised for its lack of planning and broken promises on the T-way's construction. Parramatta Council complained during construction that noise walls had not been built next to the homes of residents who lived along the T-way route, causing them distress. The planned cycleway alongside the T-way was not built in its entire length, and included a large deviation which Council complained would erode the cycleway's effectiveness.[6] After the opening of the first stage of the T-way, a local cycle advocacy group identified a large gap in the cycleway, potentially compromising cyclists' safety.[7] Some local residents had their backyards destroyed.[8]

On the opening of the initial route several other problems were raised. Comments were made concerning the initial patronage of the T-way. While the New South Wales State Government refused to say how many people used the T-way in its first week, a local newspaper discovered that the commuter carpark attracted as few as ten cars a day in the first week of operation.[9] Another local newspaper reported a traffic barrier separating vehicles from the busway at Westmead railway station was causing accidents.[10]

On 12 April 2007, the Roads and Traffic Authority quietly scrapped the bus priority system that would have given buses priority at all at-grade intersections. The decision was criticised as eliminating the main advantage of the T-way and not entice commuters back to public transport.[11] Bus operators expected better patronage once the toll on the Lane Cove Tunnel came into effect.[12]

There have also been many complaints regarding city bus travellers from Rouse Hill and Kellyville Ridge as their trips were taking 1.5 hours and were overcrowded. Hillsbus had seen increased patronage on city services with the new timetable and is not able to cope with the demand.

Services

Private bus operators Busways and Hillsbus operate North-West T-way services. There are many services which traverse the T-Way, either in its entirety or a section of it. The route numbering follows the Sydney Metropolitan Bus Route Numbering System.

The following services use the Parramatta - Rouse Hill T-Way

T65 Hillsbus

The following services use the Blacktown - Parklea T-Way

Parramatta - Rouse Hill Stations

Name of station
(Major stations in italics)		 Stopping Patterns Suburbs Served Connections
T60 T61 T62 T63 T64 T65 T66 T71 T75 602X 607X 617X 619 705 706 708 711 740 S8 5B
Parramatta Parramatta ■ Cumberland Line, ■ Western Line, ■ Blue Mountains Line (Sydney Trains/NSW Trainlink); Bus routes at Parramatta Interchange
Westmead Westmead ■ Cumberland Line, ■ Western Line, ■ Blue Mountains Line (Sydney Trains/NSW Trainlink)
Hospital Westmead Bus route 818
Mons Westmead, Northmead
Briens Northmead
Constitution Hill Constitution Hill Bus routes 606, 708
Fitzwilliam Constitution Hill, Old Toongabbie, Winston Hills
Johnstons Toongabbie, Winston Hills
Powers Seven Hills, Winston Hills Bus route 630
Abbott Baulkham Hills, Seven Hills, Winston Hills Bus routes 611, 613X
Joseph Banks Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista, Kings Langley Bus routes 714, 715
Troubadour Bella Vista, Kings Langley
Norbrik Glenwood, Norwest Business Park Bus routes 616X, 715
Meurants Glenwood, Norwest Business Park Bus routes 616X, T70, 745
Celebration Bella Vista, Glenwood, Norwest Business Park Bus routes 613X, 618, 628
Balmoral Kellyville, Glenwood
Burns Kellyville Park and Ride
Riley Kellyville, Stanhope Gardens Bus route 612X; Park and Ride
Merriville Kellyville Ridge
Sanctuary Beaumont Hills, Kellyville Ridge, Rouse Hill
Rouse Hill Rouse Hill, Schofields Bus routes 601, 608, 610, 641

Blacktown - Parklea Stations

Name of station
(Major stations in italics)		 Stopping Patterns Suburbs Served Connections
T61 T70 T71 T72 T74 T75 705 706 711
Blacktown Blacktown ■ Cumberland Line, ■ Western Line, ■ Blue Mountains Line (Sydney Trains/NSW Trainlink); Bus routes from Blacktown Interchange
Devitt Blacktown
Sackville Blacktown
Bessemer Blacktown
Turner Blacktown
Vardys Marayong
James Cook Kings Langley
Wilson Acacia Gardens, Glenwood
Sorrento Glenwood, Parklea Bus routes T63, 616X, 740, 745
Stanhope Parklea, Stanhope Gardens
Burns Kellyville Bus routes T65, T66, 602X, 607X, 617X, 619, 5B; Park and Ride

Notes

  1. ↑ ComfortDelGro Cabcharge, Hillsbus Service Update: Routes T63, T64, T65 and 610", 25 September 2007. Accessed 26 September 2007.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Baker, Jordan. 'Transport's vision splendid running at only half capacity'. Sydney Morning Herald. 25 Aug 2006
  5. ↑ Leighton Holdings A$323 million contract
  6. ↑ City of Parramatta, "News: RTA urged to reconsider noise walls and cycleway route", 11 November 2005. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  7. ↑ "CAMWEST: North-West T-Way: From Abbott Road to Wentworthville", 20 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  8. ↑ Soon, Nick, "T-Way Nightmare", Blacktown City Sun, 14 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  9. ↑ Campise, Kirsten, "Commuters Ignoring T-Way", The Northern News, 28 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  10. ↑ Stevens, Kylie, "Barrier a 'hazard'", Parramatta Sun, 28 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  11. ↑ Besser, Linton, "Priority bus green lights scrapped", Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  12. ↑ Baker, Jordan, "New tunnel sums: 17 minutes less, $25 more in toll", Sydney Morning Herald, 23 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
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