Media Release: Jon Stanhope MLA, 28 September 2009
Chief Minister and Minister for Transport Jon Stanhope today announced a modified rapid transit network trial to better align it to the recently released Strategic Public Transport Network Plan. The trial will now operate between Gungahlin to Canberra Railway Station, Kingston, travelling via Mitchell, the City, Russell and the Parliamentary Triangle.
The new service, REDEX – Rapid Express Direct – will operate on weekdays with an improved service frequency of 15 minutes from 7 am to 7 pm. To improve travel times it will stop only at specially marked stops.
The trial, which will cost $1 million, will commence on Monday 16 November and continue until the end of June 2010.
“In preparing the draft Strategic Public Transport Network Plan the Government has consulted with leading transport planning expert Jarrett Walker from McCormick Rankin Cagney. He has advised that the trial would be effective on the route between Gungahlin to the Canberra Railway Station in Kingston via City, Russell and the Parliamentary Triangle,” Mr Stanhope said.
“This aligns the trial to one of the key routes identified in the Plan and will not overlap or compete with the existing 300-series Intertown service. Restricting the trial to one route allows ACTION to run it over a longer period and with more frequent services. Services will run every 15 minutes which makes it easier for people to remember the timetable.
“The ACT Government has allocated $1 million for the trial in recognition of our commitment to providing Canberrans with better public transport options. This initiative will deliver more buses, more frequently, throughout the day,” Mr Stanhope said.
Mr Stanhope said that the new service will be operated by 11 of the new 100 buses that were funded in the 2008/09 Budget, for nearly $50 million. A review of the trial and community feedback about the new services will inform the future of REDEX and its potential growth, which could ultimately include an extension to Fyshwick. If the trial is successful future expansions, to be implemented in late-2010, will focus on the Belconnen and Tuggeranong Valley areas.
REDEX will be promoted through a community awareness campaign that will commence in October.
This page was last updated on 19 February 2023
