The metropolitan area of
Adelaide,
South Australia is served by a wide variety of transport. Being centrally located on the Australian mainland, it forms a hub for east–west and north–south routes. The road network includes major expressways such as the
Southern Expressway, the
South Eastern Freeway, the
Port River Expressway, the
Northern Expressway and the
South Road Superway
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
. The city also has a
public transport system managed by
Adelaide Metro, consisting of a contracted bus system including the
O-Bahn Busway (a
guided busway),
six metropolitan railway lines, and the
Glenelg-Adelaide-Hindmarsh Tram. According to a study conducted by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...
, Adelaide has the highest passenger vehicle travel to work (84%) and the second lowest proportion of people walking to work (2.9%)–something that is being combated by the South Australian government in an effort to increase citizen ridership and use of public transport.
Roads
Road transport in Adelaide has historically been comparatively easier than many of the other Australian cities, with a well-defined city layout and wide multiple-lane roads from the beginning of its development. Adelaide has been called a "twenty-minute city", with commuters having been able to travel from metropolitan outskirts to the city proper in twenty minutes or less. However, the
Royal Automobile Association now considers these roads are inadequate to cope with Adelaide's growing road traffic volumes.
In 1964 the 'M.A.T.S.' plan (
Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study) was commissioned by the
Government of South Australia
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
. It examined establishing a large network of highways along Adelaide's main urban transport corridors. The plan went as far as the State Government of the day purchasing land along Adelaide's major roads, in preparation for highway construction. However, later State Governments abandoned the plan during the 1970s. The consequences of the political rejection of this plan are now being realised as increased traffic has caused travel times to increase, and congestion on main thoroughfares such as
South Road has become a daily reality.
Adelaide is connected to
Port Wakefield Road and the
Sturt Highway
Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions situated adjacent to the r ...
in the north, and the
South Eastern Freeway in the South East.
The
Southern Expressway acts as a bypass for congested South Road in the southern suburbs of Adelaide.
Bus
The focus of Adelaide's public transport system is the large fleet of diesel and natural gas powered buses. The majority of services terminate at the city-centre or at a suburban interchange. Buses get priority on many roads and intersections, with dedicated
bus lane
A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway ...
s and 'B'-light bus-only phases at many
traffic lights.
The
Adelaide Metro buses are operated by:
[Minister for Transport – Report on the Adelaide Metro Bus Service Contracts](_blank)
, August 2011, retrieved 2011-12-03.
*
Torrens Transit – East-West (includes City Free), Outer North East and Outer North contract areas
*
Torrens Connect – North-South contract area, including the 300 suburban connector and O-Bahn services and the
light rail
*
SouthLink – Hills contract area
*
Busways – Outer South contract area
The
O-Bahn Busway is one of a few
guided busways in the world. With large growth in the North-eastern Suburbs of Adelaide in the 1970s and 1980s, when Adelaide was faced with a transport dilemma. The Adelaide O-Bahn was constructed in 1986 in response, after beating competing proposals of expanded rail and road networks. (One of the competing proposals was to build an Adelaide
underground transport system, but proved to be cost-ineffective in comparison).
Interstate bus routes to and from all the major Australian towns and cities connect to Adelaide. The main terminus for intra and interstate coach-liners is the
Adelaide Central bus station on the corner of
Franklin and Bowen Streets in the city-centre. Beginning in 2005, the terminal is to undergo a complete $25 million reconstruction, in conjunction with the much larger $375 million former
Balfours
Balfours is an Australian bakery which produces pies, pasties and cakes for sale in South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.
History
Balfours began when Scottish immigrant James Calder and Margaret née Balfour opened a bakery at 130 R ...
site redevelopment – the end-product being a new multistorey bus station and various residential and commercial towers.
The Tindo ("Tindo",
Kaurna word for ''sun'')
solar bus is an experimental
battery electric vehicle that operates in Adelaide. It uses 100% solar power, is equipped with a
regenerative braking system and air conditioning and can carry up to 40 persons, 25 of whom are seated. Hailed as the world's first bus service powered exclusively by solar power, the bus service connects Adelaide City and North Adelaide as part of Adelaide City's
sustainable transport
Sustainable transport refers to ways of transportation that are sustainable in terms of their social and environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used for road, water or air transport; th ...
agenda. The Tindo is part of Adelaide's Free bus services, operated under the call signs, 98A and 98C (until very recently known as the Adelaide Connector bus service). Other Free services in Adelaide include the City Loop, operating under callsigns 99C and 99A, formerly known as 99C only. The 99B, the Beeline, was another free service which ran until 2007, when the
Glenelg tram line extension was finally inaugurated.
97A and 97C are new services which started when the new
Royal Adelaide Hospital opened. It connects the old one with the new one. Its route includes
North Terrace,
Currie and
Grenfell Streets. The service has now ceased, due to a tram operating in the same intended purpose.
Rail
While Adelaide's suburban passenger-rail network does not suffer the chronic delays of its inter-state counterparts, it is comparatively under-developed; Adelaide is the last mainland capital with a non-electric network, with a 10-year $2 billion transport program commencing in 2008–09 to rebuild and electrify the network. However, only the Seaford and Tonsley lines were electrified, being completed in 2014. After being announced and canceled multiple times, the electrification of the full Gawler line is due for completion in late 2020. Adelaide is also the midpoint of the long distance ''
Indian Pacific'' service between
Perth and
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, as well as the terminus of ''
The Overland'' to
Melbourne and ''
The Ghan'' to
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
and
Darwin
Darwin may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection
* Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
.
In 1968, a
rapid transit metro system was proposed in Adelaide underneath
King William Street along with a series of
freeways, however it was scrapped due to public protest about the "
Americanisation" of the city. As part of the sweeping Metropolitan Adelaide Transport Study plan of 1968, the subway would have included three underground rapid train stations, including one at
Hindley Street, with a shopping centre on the level between the street and the rail line.
In late 2005 the
State Government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
released a State Infrastructure Plan.
This saw a
A$56 million upgrade of the Adelaide's sole remaining
tramway, from the city centre to the historic beachside resort of
Glenelg. The tram line was extended from the city centre to the railway station ( and then to new terminus in the inner north-west suburb of
Hindmarsh
Hindmarsh is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alfred Hindmarsh, MP for Wellington South (New Zealand electorate) and first leader of the New Zealand Labour Party
*Ian Hindmarsh, Australian rugby league player
* Jean Hindm ...
). In 2017 and 2018 a junction was created at the corner of North Terrace and
King William Street with a stub track leading north to one more stop near the
River Torrens and to the eastern end of North Terrace. There are now fifteen
Bombardier Flexity Classic Light Rail vehicles and nine
Alstom Citadis
The Alstom Citadis is a family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles built by Alstom. , over 2,300 Citadis trams have been sold and 1,800 tramways are in revenue service throughout the world, with operations in all six inhabited continents ...
(model 302) in service.
Construction of a new junction, branch lines along the eastern end of North Terrace and King William Road and four new stops began in July/August 2017 and opened on 13 October 2018.
Air
The
Adelaide Airport, located near
West Beach West Beach may refer to:
;Australia
*West Beach, South Australia
West Beach is a seaside suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in both the City of Charles Sturt and the City of West Torrens.
History
West Beach was first laid out in ...
, is Australia's newest and most advanced airport terminal and is designed to serve in excess of 6.8 million passengers annually. The new dual international/domestic terminal replaced the old and ageing terminals known locally as the 'tin sheds', and incorporates new state-of-the-art features, such as glass aerobridges and the ability to cater for the new
Airbus A380. The airport is designed to handle 27 aircraft simultaneously and it is capable of processing 3,000 passengers per hour. It was officially opened in a ceremony in October 2005 by
Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson,
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Mike Rann and
Prime Minister John Howard.
Due to problems with the new refuelling system, the new airport terminal was not used for interstate domestic flights until 17 February 2006.
Parafield Airport is Adelaide's second airport, mostly used for general aviation. It is located 18 kilometres north of the CBD and was Adelaides main airport for many years.
RAAF Base Edinburgh is located 25 km north of the Adelaide CBD and is used by the military.
Adelaide public transportation statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Adelaide, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 65 min. 20.6% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 11 min, while 13.4% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 8 km, while 15% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.
[ Material was copied from this source, which is available under ]
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
.
See also
Adelaide
*
Adelaide Metro
*
Buses in Adelaide
*
Railways in Adelaide
*
Trams in Adelaide
*
List of Adelaide railway stations
*
List of public transport routes in Adelaide
Public transport in Adelaide, South Australia, is managed by the State Government's Department for Infrastructure & Transport, branded as Adelaide Metro. Today bus services are operated by contractors: Busways, SouthLink, Torrens Connect and T ...
South Australia
*
Transport in South Australia
*
Rail transport in South Australia
Superseded Transport Authorities
*
Municipal Tramways Trust
*
State Transport Authority
*
TransAdelaide
Australia
*
Transport in Australia
References
{{Reflist
External links
Adelaide MetroOffice of Public Transport