The Victorian government has announced that $180 million in recent state budget funding will go towards more than 10 new or improved bus services in growing outer Melbourne suburbs.
The changes come courtesy of the funding and the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC) fund and are spread across the north, west and south-eastern suburbs of the city.
Starting in the south-east, GAIC funding will extend Route 831 on Bells Road and Route 798 to Clyde North via Hardys Road.
In Cardinia, new and extended services on routes 925 and 928 will be introduced, while Route 543 in Hume will be extended to Craigieburn Central via Greenvale North.
The extra funding will also deliver a new service connecting people in the new Harpley and Cornerstone Estates to the Wyndham Vale station for the first time, while nearby Tarneit will see a new service introduced to link Tarneit Station to Laverton North.
“We’re delivering better and more frequent public transport in our fastest growing suburbs, giving passengers more bus services and transport links with trains,” Victorian public and active transport minister Gabrielle Williams says.
“These service improvements are another example of how Victoria’s Bus Plan is delivering a new bus network that makes travelling by bus easier and more convenient.”
Alongside this, Route 524 will be added between Ovline and Kalkallo, linking Donnybrook Station with the future Cloverton Town Centre, with the route 501 express shuttle service introduced earlier this year accompanying the change.
An extra $6.7 million in GAIC funding will allow Hume and Wyndham residents to benefit from upgrades to stations at Roxburgh Park, Sunbury and Williams Landing.
Nine projects across Casey, Hume, Melton and Whittlesea will also improve active transport paths to join the bus service announcements.
“We’re giving our communities more transport options – whether that’s through better buses, or improved cycling and walking paths, linking them to key destinations,” member for Pakenham Emma Vulin says.