Full bus timetable to return in 2023 with network adjustments, temporary Woden interchange

Transport authorities expect a 4-minute delay to buses heading from Woden into the city centre, which Transport Minister Chris Steel said would mean more buses would be needed to deliver the same service frequency.

Transport Workers Union ACT sub-branch secretary Klaus Pinkas said route planners had taken their best guesses at how the timetable would look next year but some kinks may need to be ironed out after it started.

"It will be amoving feast. It's all about the construction both at Vernon Circle and at Woden," Mr Pinkas said.

Mr Steel on Wednesday announced the return of a full bus timetable from the beginning of term 1, 2023.

"Our focus has always been on reliability. We delivered reliable bus services during the pandemic - that's why we had an interim timetable in place while we've had some workforce impacts," Mr Steel said.

"As we move into a new phase of the pandemic, our focus continues to be on reliability.

"Whilst those workforce shortages may not be as acute, we've been taking a significant amount of work, preparation and planning to deliver a full timetable that will fully utilise all of the workforce that we have, including new drivers and also the bus fleet."

Work has also begun on a temporary bus interchange at Woden, which will allow the old interchange to be demolished next year and a new Canberra Institute Technology campus to be built in its place.

The interim timetable was first introduced during the lockdown in August 2021 and has run in a modified form since January 31.

Mr Steel has previously remained staunchly committed to prioritising service reliability over moving back to to the full timetable, pointing to driver absences through COVID waves as the reason for running fewer services.

The government on Wednesday said timetables would be updated to reflect construction work at Woden and the raising London Circuit project, along with community feedback.

"These measures are just part of the extensive actions we are taking to enable us to build world-class education and public transport infrastructure and services for our growing city," Mr Steel said in a statement.

"Light rail, the new Woden transport interchange and CIT campus are 'game changers' for Woden's regeneration, attracting people to study, work and live in Woden, use public transport, access local shops, restaurants and services and meet up with others in new public plazas and green spaces."

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The temporary Woden interchange will be located to the east of the Matilda Street car park on existing bus layovers.

The temporary stops and shelters will be in use until the construction of a light-rail ready interchange in Woden is finished.

The government said improvements to the bus network to be made next year include "refinements" to school services driven by school and community feedback.

Other changes to the 2023 bus network will include adjustments to Gungahlin routes to service schools and provide a stronger connection to the Amaroo shops.

Bus route 31 will be extended into Lawson and adjustments to the routing of all peak services travelling over the Commonwealth Avenue bridge would be made to use new signals at Vernon Circle and Constitution Avenue.

The government said it would also adjust Belconnen routes to downgrade the Fraser West terminus, and reduce bus layovers at Denman Prospect.

Nearby residents in 2020 said the expanded Fraser West terminus had created undue noise and pollution after it was built without consultation.

Transport officials in August set their sights on boosting passenger numbers across Canberra's bus and light rail network to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible.

An updated transport recovery plan said passenger numbers across the public transport network were about 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels but one in six passengers had not returned since the beginning of the COVID era.

Fare revenue was down by $18.3 million in 2020-21, the plan said.

The plan said commuter travel to work had shifted as a result of the pandemic, with fewer trips made on Mondays and Fridays as people choose to work from home.

The government has also said it will encourage city centre workers affected by construction on the second stage of light rail to consider public transport to beat congested traffic and reduced parking.

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