Sydney first bus-only rapid transitway, known as T-way, opened on 16 February
2003 between Liverpool and Parramatta. This section is the first of many bus-only
transitways planned for Sydney, the majority of which are located in Sydney's
developing western suburbs.
Spanning 31 kilometres, the T-way's 36 stations are served by 17 environmentally-friendly
accessible buses, operated by WesternSydney Buses, a seperate entity of the
State Transit Authority of NSW. The route is known as T80.
Recently, Westbus has commenced operating on small sections of the roadway
to allow interchange from their services to T-way buses. The T-way also provides
easy interchange to CityRail services at Liverpool and Parramatta.
A main feature of the T-way is the provision of real-time passenger information,
which has been provided at the majority of stations along the corridor. Manufactured
by ALSTOM, each bus is fitted with a transponder enabling its location to
be detected. The tracking system then determines how many minutes away each
bus is from a station. Information is shown on LED matrix indicator boards
installed at most stations, and audio information is provided on-demand and
as a bus appraches.
Each transponder is linked to a compact disc player installed on every
bus, and pre-recorded announcements are made on-board as the bus approaches
a station. Supplementary messages are also broacast as a bus approaches a
major station or terminii.
Emergency Help Points are provided at most stations, and is montored by
Police, security and State Transit's Transport Management Centre (TMC), located
at Eveleigh. The TMC is also able to broadcast live announcements at each
station when necessary.
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