O-Bahn Busway

O-Bahn Busway
Mercedes-Benz O305 bus on the O-Bahn guide-way
Overview
Other name(s)	Adelaide O-Bahn
Type	guided busway
Status	Operating
Coordinates	34°54′20″S 138°36′46″E / 34.90556°S 138.61278°E / -34.90556; 138.61278Coordinates: 34°54′20″S 138°36′46″E / 34.90556°S 138.61278°E / -34.90556; 138.61278
Termini	Hackney Road Tea Tree Plaza Interchange
Stations	Klemzig Interchange Paradise Interchange
Daily ridership	31,000 people each weekday
Operation
Opened	9 March 1986 (1986-03-09) (stage 1) 20 August 1989 (1989-08-20) (stage 2)
Operator(s)	Adelaide Metro - Light-City Buses
Technical
Line length	12 km (7.5 mi)
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map To Hackney Road Footbridge Gilbert Street River Torrens Player Avenue River Torrens Stephen Terrace River Torrens Holton Court River Torrens River Torrens River Torrens River Torrens Lower Portrush Road River Torrens OG Road Klemzig Interchange River Torrens Footbridge Hill Street Church Road Footbridge Paradise Interchange Darley Road River Torrens Parsons Road Lyons Road Pedestrian Subway Grand Junction Road Pedestrian Subway Dry Creek Pedestrian Subway Reservoir Road Smart Road Tea Tree Plaza Interchange This diagram:

The O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway that is part of the bus rapid transit system servicing the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn system was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.

Adelaide's O-Bahn was introduced in 1986 to service the city's rapidly expanding north-eastern suburbs, replacing an earlier plan for a tramway extension. The O-Bahn busway provides specially built track, combining elements of both bus and rail systems. Adelaide's track is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long and includes three interchanges: Klemzig, Paradise and Tea Tree Plaza Interchange in Modbury. Interchanges allow buses to enter and exit the busway and to continue on suburban routes, avoiding the need for passengers to transfer to another bus to continue their journey. Buses travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h (60 mph), and the busway is capable of carrying 18,000 passengers an hour from Adelaide city centre to Tea Tree Plaza in 15 minutes. As of 2015^[update], the busway carries approximately 31,000 people per weekday.

A contract has been let for an extension at the city end that will reduce the number of congested intersections buses must traverse to enter the Adelaide city centre; this is due to open in 2017. The development of the O-Bahn busway led to the development of the Torrens Linear Park from a run-down urban drain into an attractive public open space. It has also triggered urban development around the north-eastern terminus at Modbury.