O-Bahn Busway

O-Bahn Busway
Mercedes-Benz O305 bus on the O-Bahn
Overview
System	Adelaide Metro
Operator	Torrens Transit
Status	Operational
Began service	9 March 1986 (1986-03-09) (stage 1) 20 August 1989 (1989-08-20) (stage 2) 10 December 2017 (2017-12-10) (City Access tunnel)
Former operator(s)	Light-City Buses TransAdelaide State Transport Authority
Route
Route type	Guided busway/Bus rapid transit
Start	Grenfell Street
End	Tea Tree Plaza Interchange
Length	12 kilometres (7.5 mi)
Stations	3
Service
Journey time	20 minutes
Ridership	31,000 per day (2015)
Route map Legend Grenfell Street East Terrace Dequetteville Terrace North Terrace / Botanic Rd Park Terrace / Bundeys Road Park Road / Mann Terrace footbridge Gilbert Street Player Avenue Stephen Terrace Holton Court Lower Portrush Road OG Road Klemzig Interchange footbridge Hill Street Church Road footbridge Paradise Interchange Darley Road Parsons Road Lyons Road pedestrian subway Grand Junction Road pedestrian subway Dry Creek pedestrian subway Reservoir Road Smart Road Tea Tree Plaza Interchange ← {{{previous_line}}}  {{{system_nav}}}  {{{next_line}}} →

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.^[1]

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 provides specially built track, combining elements of both bus and rail systems. The track is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long and includes three interchanges at Klemzig, Paradise and Tea Tree Plaza. 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 can travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h (60 mph), but are restricted to 90 km/h (55 mph). As of 2015^[update], the busway carried approximately 31,000 people per weekday.^[2] An additional section including a 670-metre (2,200 ft) tunnel opened in 2017 at the city end to reduce the number of congested intersections buses must traverse to enter the Adelaide city centre.^[3]

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.