A major reform to the Canberra Bus Service occurred on 25 March 1968 with new routes and, more significantly, the introduction of an “Interchange” at Phillip and Lyons to transfer passengers between local services and an inter-town bus route.
An off-street interchange located between Bradley and Bowes Streets in Phillip opened on 4 December 1972. This modern suburban bus terminal was one of the first of its kind in Australia (if not the first) – it featured a public address system, enquiries and tickets sales office, and an indicator system to control bus departures. There were 15 “sawtooth” platforms arranged along an inverted ‘T’ shape. The interchange also had a public toilet block, shop and drivers’ meal room, and was a short walk to the newly opened Woden Plaza (now Westfield Shoppingtown Woden).
In 1982, the interchange was modified to cater for new services to Tuggeranong, with the updated Interchange officially opening on 6 December 1982. This upgrade added 8 new platforms at the eastern end of the Interchange in a ‘T’ shape, reconfigured the existing platforms and included a new supervisor’s control room, drivers’ facilities and ticket and enquiries office. The updated interchange had 17 platforms, most of which could accommodate two standard buses or a single articulated bus.
The upgrade was also necessitated by the number of buses and passengers using the interchange more than doubling since it originally opened. Heated waiting rooms were also introduced – up until that point, some waiting areas were not fully enclosed, or were not undercover. A gravel layover area was also removed.
The interchange (or ‘melting pot‘, depending on who you asked) went largely unchanged for a number of years, aside from minor alterations to platforms, lighting, PA and CCTV systems. The next major change was made in 2016 when the western end was remodelled – a new set of stairs and a lift to the Woden Town Square were built replacing the toilet block, and the overhead walkway was disconnected.
Woden Interchange closed on Sunday 29 January 2023. It was replaced by an interim 6-platform facility located between Bowes and Matilda Streets, which opened the following day.
A new Woden Transport Interchange which will include 18 bus platforms and provision for 2 light rail platforms is being built along Callam Street. It is planned for completion in 2025. A new CIT Campus will be built on the site of the former Woden Interchange and Woden Police Station.
For more images of Woden Interchange see:
This page was last updated on 2 May 2023
