Network 2023

[Barry Drive]

In conjunction with a temporary Woden Interchange, Chris Steel has announced a new timetable/network will commence from Term 1 2023.

(Full media release here: https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/open_government/inform/act_government_media_releases/chris-steel-mla-media-releases/2022/bus-changes-to-support-cit-woden-and-light-rail-works )

Route changes include:
• 31 to loop through Lawson
• better service to Amaroo Shops
• adjustments due to Turner Layover (which presumably means closure of City West station and layover)

Not mentioned in the media release, but included in the budget was making the Whitlam route (47) full time – which I take to mean running a full peak timetable and later than 7pm. But we'll find out once the timetable comes out.

[Barry Drive]

Timetables, maps and guides have been published on the TC website.

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

Apart from what looks like Belconnen for once getting the finger up the bum for once with the 40/42/46 thing and a whole hour of R4s in the evening getting cut, I can't see how this is much of a network change. I was expecting a whole lot more...
I'm honestly angry at this point, and my temper will worsen if no printed timetables are published. This network feels like they've completely ignored everyone and only made the effort to work around roadwords, disgusting.

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

Also, no weekend improvements, fan-f***ing-tastic...

[triumph]

Had a quick look.
The TT indexing refers a bit to City West, but in the actual TTs it seems City West is replaced by ANU Rimmer St for departures, and ANU Marcus Clark St/Rimmer St for arrivals. (180 and 181 are indexed to City but have always used City West, and will still use the City West replacement stops.)

Whilst it is not clear, I think the present City West stop in Alinga St will now only be used by the National Museum service, AND will it still stop at the former City West layover stop on the way back?

As for Fraser West, the removal of a couple of 1/2hr interval weekday services is hardly going to reduce the 'nuisance' value much as the frequent R2 is still operating from there.

The TT shows some services are not disability compliant!

[Barry Drive]

Route changes include:
• 31 to loop through Lawson
• better service to Amaroo Shops
• adjustments due to Turner Layover (which presumably means closure of City West station and layover)

Not mentioned in the media release, but included in the budget was making the Whitlam route (47) full time – which I take to mean running a full peak timetable and later than 7pm. But we'll find out once the timetable comes out.

Full list of changes to routes:
• Route R6 - travels via Ainsworth Street
• Route 18 - services Franklin only, does not cross over Flemington Road
• Route 19/20 - travels via Amaroo Shops rather than most of Katherine Ave {provides a connection to Amaroo Shops to all of Amaroo}
• Route 20/21 - covers Well Station Drive previously serviced by Route 18
• Route 31 - services Lawson via Stockman Drive
• Route 40/42 - new loop combining these routes, apart from Florey and Latham {connects Fraser East and Melba to Kippax and Charnwood Shops}
• Route 41 - covers Shakespeare Cres previously serviced by Route 42
• Route 46 - new route which services Florey, Latham and Kippax previously serviced by Route 40.
• Route 57 - does not travel via Ainsworth St
• Route 60/61 - travels via Ainsworth St (Phillip) instead of Launceston/Yamba
• Routes 64 65 70 & 71 - travel via Hindmarsh Drive when leaving Woden
• Routes 63 & 66 - no longer commences from Brierly St
• Routes 72 76 & 77 - travel via Easty St to/from Woden

Other adjustments are all City West departures are moved to Rimmer St.

Route 47 gets some added peak services, but still no services beyond 7pm - 7 days a week.
Just quietly, I would have preferred the 40/42 be adjusted so that the 40 (From Belconnen) travels via Page and Scullin then Kippax with the 42 using Southern Cross Drive then Kingsford Smith Drive. Would have re-connected Page and Scullin to Kippax without adding significant running time. Also disappointed they didn't put the Macrossan Cres loop back into the Route 46 since it no longer travels further than Kippax.

Whilst it is not clear, I think the present City West stop in Alinga St will now only be used by the National Museum service, AND will it still stop at the former City West layover stop on the way back?

This does appear to be the case.

There is no information about the fate of City West. I was under the impression it was going to become a construction compound for Light Rail Stage 2A, but there seems to be one set up further down Marcus Clarke St near Theatre 3.

I was expecting a whole lot more...

I'm honestly angry at this point, and my temper will worsen if no printed timetables are published.

If you follow the pattern of network changes, this was pretty much as expected – minor route changes with some timetable cuts. And so far, no mention of printed timetables, but there might be a route map coming.

Also, no weekend improvements, fan-f***ing-tastic...

Weekend route changes match weekdays, so that counts as improvements. They actually could have adjusted the weekend timetables further, but for some routes there are better frequencies on weekends at night than during the week.

[743]

Route 902 on weekends now runs full length to Hume, also.

[Bus 400]

Whilst probably not a big deal. But with the Harrison/Franklin buses changing. Crace, Palmerston & Franklin students have lost a bus service to their local high school, Harrison School. With a kilometre walk from Cultivation Street or take the light rail for 1 stop. 

Pity about the top stop at Woden going. Always good when you could race the bus from the Interchange & win. Let's hope the right turn from Callam Street onto westbound Hindmarsh Drive has improved in recent times. 

[triumph]

Under the current Network TT the buses around Vernon Circle are diverted from the published network routes. The mapping for the 1st term 2023 TT shows Vernon Circle as the route for relevant services, thus from the 30th January buses are on the 'published' route and thus will no longer be 'diverting'. A finnicky point. (A fairly recent similar case was the disappearance of Hospital Road from the published R6 and 902 routes.)

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

In preperation of TC being the lazy buggers they've been the last couple of networks (aka the PUBLIC bus DISservice...) when it comes to printed timetables for the people who need them, and no the books are just a horrible inconvinience, I've started working on my own timetables using a template of a timetable from over 20 years ago. Just spent the last 12 hours doing it up and have 1 timetable so far ready for the final touches I have planned for when the network starts. If you want one too, let me know, they've very glamorous.

[Stan butler]

In preperation of TC being the lazy buggers they've been the last couple of networks (aka the PUBLIC bus DISservice...) when it comes to printed timetables for the people who need them, and no the books are just a horrible inconvinience, I've started working on my own timetables using a template of a timetable from over 20 years ago. Just spent the last 12 hours doing it up and have 1 timetable so far ready for the final touches I have planned for when the network starts. If you want one too, let me know, they've very glamorous.

Some people have too much time on their hands......😀

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

Tends to happen when one develops a sleeping problem and has nothing much else to do at 4 in the morning.

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

Just a quick little example of the template I've been using to create my new personalised timetables, thought I'd share one of the most useful creations to ever happen - aka something the rats at TC would never bother with.

I'm also using the Network '98 timetables for the Rapids just for a little variety like the rainbow collection we had for network 2006 or 2008 or whichever one it was.

Once this week has passed and I get that 'extra detail' I'm after, I'll be getting them printed at Officeworks. I'm only planning on doing 43, 70, 71, 72, 902/831 and maybe a rapid if I can figure the page sizes out, if you want one too lol let me know.

[Busnerd]

To be fair, one of the best timetable designs they ever had. Whilst the world has moved on from paper timetables I always found them faster and nicer to read and compare to each other, that said I've become too reliant on real time information the apps provide.

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

Oh I agree completely, the timetables between 98 and 08 were awesome and good fun to collect. I was going to do a green and orange arrangement of that for the rapids but it looked horrendous, so Network '98 . I want to show the other side, but I'd have to sensor a lot of it because the 'extra detail' stuff that I'm including is little bus icons indicating the presumed bus allocations on each route. Just a fun little thing I'm adding in so I can know what bus to expect when I do a day trip or something.

Like for example the CNG and Volgren icons represent a unspecific Tuggernong/Belconnen shift and the Renault's will be Renault routes.


The biggest problem I deal with on a daily basis now is I don't have a phone and don't plan on ever having one. I don't want to print off the official timetables from online cuz I'd be printing off ALL of them and that'd be depressing looking at them in the ew design they have now, and that's a fk ton of paper to carry around. I require all of them because sometimes I may end up in Belconnen or Gungahlin for some reason at any time and need them - this is the only time the books are useful. Like for example I got myself stuck in Deakin on Saturday, all the timetables at the stops had the new network on them and I was freaking out because I wasn't sure if I was going to have to wait 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 2 hours for the next bus - luckily someone walking their dog was able to assist me and the wait was only 15. Had I had an actual timetable on me, I would've been fine, but being the new fkd up Saturday timetable it was, I had no clue after arriving in Deakin.
People in my similar situation, not mobile-phone-less, but mainly the elderly are too suffering for the times we live in now. No information nor any Interchange walk-up-to-windows anymore (except Tuggeranong), no proper timetables, inconvenient as hell bus networks. I'm often hearing from people these things and it's disgusting.

[Buzz Killington]

Those icons are pretty cool, nice job.

As an aside, would a cheap (non-smart) phone be an option for you? If nothing else it allows for calls to the info line or texting nxtbus (not to mention emergency contact with family)

[Barry Drive]

While a little off-topic, the recently installed bus stop signs have removed the SMS number for NXTBUS.

Which may suggest that the replacement RTPIS will not support an SMS service. Or at least that it isn't considered essential.

From an access perspective, this is not a good move. As we've just seen, not everyone wants or can use a "smart phone". Even if the new system will include a TC app, the SMS service is useful for the less technical minded and vision impaired users who may find a text message easier to convert into speech than an app.

[triumph]

Transport Canberra has announced 'new' timetables from 9th Oct. Not so much 'new' as 'evolved'. There are adjustments to some times, to weekday daytime frequency increase to change hourly services to half hourly (except route 47), to refine school services to co-ordinate with changed school bell times, and  some consequent changes to first and last times. Route 59 is similarly changing from half hourly to quarter hourly, and routes 18 and 24 increased to half hourly for morning services. The time adjustments also take into account the effect of various construction projects. 
Weekend services are unchanged.
Go to Transport Canberra website for more details. 

[Sylvan Loves Buses]

Uh oh, thought that's what I saw on the bus stop sign I passed this evening.
Was kinda hoping to get a bit more outta my current set of timetables, only just started to notice wear marks. 140gsm gloss was definetely a good decision.
Well good excuse to start working on my second versions. 1 route per timetable is a waste, currently in the works of doing 1-4 routes per timetable, just like the good old days.

[Bus 503]

Have recently noticed some Irisbus shifts have been all over the place with bus allocations - often "upgraded" to MAN and K320UBs, at least once to an articulated bus. Perhaps the increase in Bustechs at Belconnen means more EUROs available to take out in place of Irisbuses. Also, on a somewhat unrelated note, I've noticed a regular shift I get on is marked as non-wheelchair accessible on the TC website but gets a Belconnen EURO every day - has never gotten a PR2 ever so far as I know. Perhaps with the current timetable, TC has overestimated the number of PR2s needed for a regular weekday.

[triumph]

... Also, on a somewhat unrelated note, I've noticed a regular shift I get on is marked as non-wheelchair accessible on the TC website but gets a Belconnen EURO every day - has never gotten a PR2 ever so far as I know. Perhaps with the current timetable, TC has overestimated the number of PR2s needed for a regular weekday.

I also have noticed many runs marked non-accessible which PR2s don't seem to regularly appear on. It has already been reported in the Forum that if an accessible bus is available, then it will be substituted for a PR2. Because of the potential variability in the use of PR2s. I had assumed that TC was being cautious in showing any run which might be allocated a PR2 on occasion, as non-accessible. Certainly I don't think there are enough active PR2s to simultaneously cover all the services now shown as non-accessible. The only downsides are for enthusiasts trying to find PR2s and the possibility of mis-interpretation of the prevalence of non-accessible services. The latter fair enough, as that is what is now published.
There are currently 6 new buses on hand, with the potential to enter service by the end of the school holidays. Thus, if that happens, the PR2 active bus fleet could be almost halved going into the next term.

[Bus 503]

Always been somewhat curious about whether there is there any reason why the 59 goes all the way to City ANU but 56, 57, and 58 only start/finish at City Interchange?

I can imagine this must be somewhat annoying particularly for route 56 passengers who want to go all the way to City ANU getting on at Barton, Russell, Constitution Avenue, because all the other routes keep going to City ANU except for the 56. It just seems like a weird inconsistency, especially in the case of the 56.

[743]

Always been somewhat curious about whether there is there any reason why the 59 goes all the way to City ANU but 56, 57, and 58 only start/finish at City Interchange?

My guess would be because the 59 was a replacement for the original R5 between City West & Woden, before the latter was matched to the R4. Since the R5 went to City West, so did the 59. The 56, 57 and 58 have only gone as far as the Interchange since they commenced.

However, the 59 was treated a little differently to the RAPIDs, e.g. with regard to City Interchange platforms.