North-West T-way

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North-West T-way
Tway logo.png
Overview
OperatorBusways
Hillsbus
Began service10 March 2007 (2007-03-10)
Route
StartBlacktown Station
Rouse Hill Station
ViaNorwest Business Park
Westmead Hospital
EndParramatta Station
Length24 km

The North-West T-way is a continuous series of bus-only lanes and bus roadways between Parramatta, Blacktown and Rouse Hill in Western Sydney. Opened in stages between March and November 2007, the 24 km (14.9 mi) T-way was the second bus rapid transit route to be built in Sydney after the Liverpool–Parramatta T-way.

Alignment[]

The T-way follows Old Windsor Road north from Westmead Hospital. At Memorial Avenue, Kellyville, the route branches, with one branch continuing north along Old Windsor and Windsor roads to Rouse Hill Town Centre and the other heading west along to Blacktown.

The alignment includes 10 new bridges and two new underpasses. Three of the T-way's 24 route-kilometres are bus lanes on existing roads.[1]

The Bella Vista–Rouse Hill section of the T-way runs parallel with the Sydney Metro Northwest rail line.

Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Interactive map of the North-West T-way. Only the sections that are separate from public roads are marked, but the map includes all stops along the T-way.

Construction[]

The NSW Government announced the T-way network as part of its Action for Transport plan in 1998. The North-West project was approved in February 2004 and was jointly overseen by the then Ministry of Transport and Roads and Traffic Authority. The $323 million design–build–maintain contract was awarded to Leighton Contractors and construction began in mid 2005.[2][3] Construction took place alongside a major upgrade and widening program on Windsor and Old Windsor roads, known as 'All the way to Windsor'.[4]

The design was said to avoid many of the mistakes that had made the earlier Liverpool–Parramatta T-way so expensive to build.[5]

The T-way opened in three stages:[6]

  • Parramatta to Merriville Road, Rouse Hill – 10 March 2007
  • Merriville Road to Rouse Hill Town Centre – 25 September 2007
  • Blacktown branch – 4 November 2007.

A fourth section, continuing from the Blacktown branch and between Burns Interchange to Castle Hill, was never constructed.

Stations[]

Norbrik T-way station

The North-West T-way has 30 stations, spaced approximately every 800 metres. Stations feature closed circuit television, real-time information screens, emergency help points, audio announcements and extensive landscaping.[7]

One station, Parramatta Station, also forms part of the Liverpool–Parramatta T-way. The other stations are, from Parramatta:

  • Westmead, at Westmead Station
  • Hospital, at Westmead Hospital
  • Mons, at Mons Road, Westmead
  • Briens, at Briens Road, Northmead
  • Constitution Hill
  • Fitzwilliam, near Fitzwilliam Road, Constitution Hill
  • Johnstons, near Johnstons Bridge, Old Toongabbie
  • Powers, near Powers Road, Seven Hills
  • Abbott, near Abbott Road (Prospect Highway), Seven Hills
  • Joseph Banks, near Joseph Banks Drive, Kings Langley
  • Troubador, near Troubador Park, Kings Langley
  • Norbrik, near Norbrik Drive, Glenwood
  • Meurants, near Meurants Lane, Glenwood
  • Celebration, near Celebration Drive, Bella Vista
  • Burns, near Memorial Avenue (formerly Burns Road), Kellyville

From Burns, the Blacktown branch proceeds to:

  • Stanhope, near Stanhope Parkway, Glenwood
  • Sorrento, near Sorrento Drive, Glenwood
  • Wilson, near Wilson Road, Glenwood
  • James Cook, near James Cook Drive, Kings Langley
  • Vardys, near Vardys Road, Blacktown
  • Turner, near Turner Street, Blacktown
  • Bessemer, near Bessemer Street, Blacktown
  • Sackville, near Sackville Street, Blacktown
  • Devitt, near Devitt Street, Blacktown
  • Blacktown, at Blacktown Station.

From Burns, the Rouse Hill branch proceeds to:

Services[]

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 with T-way specific routes prefixed with T until July 2019. (Hillsbus T6x and Busways T7x) As of 28 July 2019 the remaining Txx routes were renumbered as three digit numbers[8]

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

T65 Hillsbus
  • T60 Parramatta - Castle Hill via Crestwood (renumbered 660 28 July 2019)
  • T61 Parramatta - Blacktown via Kings Langley (renumbered 661 28 July 2019)
  • T62 Parramatta - Castle Hill via Bella Vista and Tuckwell Road (renumbered 662 28 July 2019)
  • T63 Parramatta - Rouse Hill Town Centre via Glenwood and Stanhope Gardens (renumbered 663 28 July 2019)
  • T64 Parramatta - Rouse Hill Town Centre via Norwest Business Park and Kellyville (renumbered 664 28 July 2019)
  • T65 Parramatta - Rouse Hill Town Centre (renumbered 665 28 July 2019)
  • T66 Parramatta - Rouse Hill via Rouse Hill Town Centre (amalgamated with T65 as 665 28 July 2019)
  • T71 Blacktown - Castle Hill via Stanhope Gardens, Rouse Hill Town Centre and Kellyville (renumbered 731 and curtailed to Blacktown - Rouse Hill Town Centre 26 May 2019)
  • T75 Blacktown - Riverstone via Rouse Hill (renumbered 735 26 May 2019)

The following T services use the Blacktown - Parklea T-Way

  • T61 Blacktown - Parramatta via Kings Langley (renumbered 661 28 July 2019)
  • T70 Blacktown - Castle Hill via Glenwood and Norwest Business Park (renumbered 730 26 May 2019)
  • T71 Blacktown - Castle Hill via Stanhope Gardens, Rouse Hill Town Centre and Kellyville (renumbered 731 and curtailed to Blacktown - Rouse Hill Town Centre 26 May 2019)
  • T72 Blacktown - Quakers Hill via Pye Road (renumbered 732 26 May 2019)
  • T74 Blacktown - Riverstone via Stanhope Gardens and The Ponds (renumbered 734 26 May 2019)
  • T75 Blacktown - Riverstone via Rouse Hill (renumbered 735 26 May 2019)

Hillsbus and Busways also operate other routes along the T-way.

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.[9] 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.[10] Some local residents had their backyards destroyed.[11]

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.[12] Another local newspaper reported a traffic barrier separating vehicles from the busway at Westmead railway station was causing accidents.[13]

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.[14] Bus operators expected better patronage once the toll on the Lane Cove Tunnel came into effect.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Leighton Holdings A$323 million contract". Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  2. ^ North-T-way, Leighton Contractors
  3. ^ North West Bus Transitway Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Leighton
  4. ^ Ozroads. "Old Windsor and Windsor roads".
  5. ^ Baker, Jordan (25 August 2006). "Transport's vision splendid running at only half capacity". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. ^ Hillsbus Service Update: Routes T63, T64, T65 and 610", Hillsbus 25 September 2007. Accessed 26 September 2007.[dead link]
  7. ^ Jordan Baker (25 August 2006). "Transport's vision splendid running at only half capacity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
  8. ^ Service Adjustments Transport for NSW
  9. ^ City of Parramatta, "News: RTA urged to reconsider noise walls and cycleway route", 11 November 2005. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  10. ^ "CAMWEST: North-West T-Way: From Abbott Road to Wentworthville", 20 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  11. ^ Soon, Nick, "T-Way Nightmare", Blacktown City Sun, 14 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  12. ^ Campise, Kirsten, "Commuters Ignoring T-Way", The Northern News, 28 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  13. ^ Stevens, Kylie, "Barrier a 'hazard'", Parramatta Sun, 28 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  14. ^ Besser, Linton, "Priority bus green lights scrapped", Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.
  15. ^ Baker, Jordan, "New tunnel sums: 17 minutes less, $25 more in toll", Sydney Morning Herald, 23 March 2007. Accessed 16 April 2007.

External links[]

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