The Balmain peninsula will soon see 24 hour public transport, with buses running the length of Darling Street at least every hour on Friday and Saturday nights.
The new 24 hour routes include the 433 from Balmain Gladstone Park, which travels to Central via North Annandale, Forest Lodge and Glebe, and route 442 which connects Balmain East Wharf to the QVB. These services will also be upgraded to run every 10 minutes or better between 6:30am and 8:30pm on weekdays and every 20 minutes or better between 5:30am and 6:30am, and 8:30pm and 12:30am.
The introduction of 24 hour public transport to the peninsula supports the Inner West Council’s recent announcement that Balmain Darling Street will become a Special Entertainment Precinct, where live music, performances and cultural activities can flourish, and outdoor dining is permitted until 11pm.
The 442 and 433 join 34 other buses that operate a 24 hour service on Friday and Saturday nights that ensure Sydney has a comprehensive public transport network all night long.
The changes have been introduced as part of a broader timetable shakeup which will see improved frequency and new overnight services across the Region 6 bus network in the Inner West that will begin
Route 423 from Kingsgrove Depot to Martin Place via Earlwood and King St Newtown, will see additional services across the week, with services operating at least every 10 minutes on weekdays.
Additional services will operate on route 418 Burwood to Sydenham, will support Southwest Link services, connecting Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Hurlstone Park passengers with Metro services at Sydenham and Sydney Trains services at Ashfield and Burwood.
The expanded services on route 418 will increase service frequency across the week and replace the 425 service which duplicates a small section of the route between Dulwich Hill and Sydenham.
Additional morning and evening services on the 420 service will provide additional public transport connections to Sydney Airport for travellers and workers.
Timetable adjustments will also be introduced on routes 426, 428 and 430 operating towards the city along the King Street Newtown corridor.
Route 526 will be upgraded to operate every 10 minutes or better seven days a week, supporting demand for travel between Rhodes, Sydney Olympic Park and Strathfield.
There will also be changes on some Victoria Road services operating to Drummoyne, Chiswick and Five Dock, with more services operating on route 504 Chiswick to City and adjustments to route 502 Cabarita Wharf to City.
The additional services on route 504 will replace existing route 503 which covers the same route from the City but terminates earlier in Drummoyne. These changes will better reflect demand and reduce service duplication.
Timetable adjustments to support improved reliability will be introduced across other routes, and there will be adjustments to many dedicated school services across the inner west.
The Inner West bus timetable changes start on Sunday 8 December and are being implemented to support improved bus connections and service reliability, giving passengers the connections they need for seamless connections to other transport options.
Transport for NSW is working with schools, community and business groups to ensure people have the information they need to plan their trips. Further timetable adjustments are planned for early 2025 in Blacktown, Hills District, South East Sydney and the Northern Beaches.
Passengers can plan their new bus journeys online by visiting Transport’s Trip Planner at transportnsw.info/trip
Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:
“From 8 December, Inner Westies will have another transport option to get home after a night out, with overnight services running on Friday and Saturday.
“Sydney has a comprehensive 24 hour public transport network, with a variety of services continuing throughout the night, every night.
“Adding these two extra overnight services means there will be 36 bus routes operating on Friday and Saturday nights across Sydney.
“We are always looking at ways to improve frequency and reliability of our bus network, which means providing more services on some of our popular routes and reducing them were the demand isn’t there.
“These timetable changes will help passengers take advantage of the new City Metro line and support Southwest Link operations during the final Metro conversion of the Bankstown Line.
Mayor of the Inner West Darcy Byrne said:
“24 hour buses to Balmain could the the shot in the arm needed to bring our famous pub culture back to life.”
“With the White Bay Power Station pumping, new 24 hour buses and the Darling Street special entertainment precinct opening in 2025, this could be the renaissance of Australia’s oldest and best pub culture.”
