The NSW Government has announced the roll out of more bus services in the Tweed region to cater for an expected increase in demand when the new Tweed Valley Hospital opens.
Starting from Monday 6 May various bus route timetables will be overhauled to better connect the Tweed Valley region to the new hospital.
Route 609 from Murwillumbah will receive an additional 10 trips each week to the new hospital. These include morning and afternoon services timed to help frontline staff get to and from the hospital as their shifts start and end.
Other improvements include:
- Route 600 (Banora Point to Tweed Mall, via Tweed City and the Tweed Hospital) will be extended to operate between Tweed Heads West and Coolangatta from Banora Central.
- Route 601 will be amended to operate from Tweed Mall to the new Tweed Valley Hospital to service staff, patients and the community.
- Route 605 will be extended to operate between Murwillumbah and Tweed Mall via Powell Street and Keith Compton Drive. Murwillumbah residents will be able to stay on the same bus to Tweed Mall where they can connect with Queensland Translink services.
- The 603 service will also stop at the new bus stops on Cudgen Road, outside the hospital entrance.
Before the new hospital opens on 14 May, existing route 600 and 601 buses will continue to deviate via Powell Street to service the existing hospital — however when the new hospital opens services will travel via Wharf Street at Tweed Heads and will no longer deviate via Powell Street.
For detailed timetable information visit Trip Planner.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
“The NSW Government understands how important it is for patients, visitors and staff to have easy access to the new Tweed Valley Hospital.
“The new bus services we’re delivering will provide the vital access to healthcare, employment and opportunity critical to people in the Tweed.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:
“Many of the people visiting the new hospital are likely to have mobility issues, so providing better bus services that run direct to the facility is going to be an enormous benefit for them.
“I’m pleased to see the new services will start one week before the opening of the hospital in order to help people become familiar with the new arrangements.”
NSW Duty MLC for Tweed Emily Suvaal said:
“The NSW Government is proud to be investing in improvements to public transport in our growing regional communities and I encourage everyone in the Tweed region to take advantage of these new services.
“I also congratulate Transport for NSW and bus operator Kinetic for the work they’ve put in to deliver improvements to public transport that will benefit so many community members in the Tweed region.”