Transport for NSW has unveiled a comprehensive five-year initiative aimed at transforming transportation across the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales. The Draft Central West and Orana Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan outlines a series of short-term actions designed to create safer, more equitable, and better-connected travel options for regional communities.
Key Initiatives to Improve Transport Access
A central focus of the plan is to enhance transport outcomes for Aboriginal communities. Transport for NSW will collaborate with Aboriginal community-controlled organizations to co-design local transport services that reflect the unique needs of these communities. This approach aims to ensure that solutions are tailored from within rather than imposed externally.
Additionally, the introduction of an open-source regional dashboard will make Aboriginal transport data publicly available. This initiative seeks to illuminate gaps in access to vital services such as health, education, and employment, particularly in rapidly growing areas. The visibility of Aboriginal culture will also be bolstered through new “Signposting Country” signage along state roads, promoting language and heritage.
In towns where state highways serve as main streets—including Orange, Cowra, and Narromine—the plan includes investigations into reallocating road space. This would enhance pedestrian safety, cycling access, and overall street appeal. For larger centres like Bathurst, Dubbo, and Orange, potential bypasses are being explored to alleviate heavy traffic congestion in town centres.
Expanding Public Transport Options
Public transport improvements are another major priority outlined in the plan. Transport for NSW intends to assess the expansion of local bus services across key regional centres such as Dubbo, Bathurst, Orange, Parkes, Forbes, Lithgow, Mudgee, and Cowra. This expansion will employ a mix of fixed routes and flexible services, including improved day-return options to facilitate better connections between smaller towns and nearby cities.
Proposed connections include routes from Millthorpe to Orange, Kandos and Rylstone to Mudgee, and Portland to Lithgow. Longer-distance services are also being evaluated, including enhanced links between Dubbo, Orange, and Bathurst, as well as connections to cities outside the region, such as Newcastle, Canberra, and Tamworth.
All regional bus services will transition to contactless ticketing to modernize payment methods and enhance passenger convenience. Rail users might benefit from a proposed new stabling yard in Orange, supporting more frequent train services linking major locations including Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow, and Sydney.
Freight transport is being prioritized as well, with plans to improve heavy vehicle access on vital highways such as the Newell, Mitchell, Great Western, and Golden Highways. A regional freight network strategy aims to shift more freight onto rail, particularly via Inland Rail and connections to Newcastle and Brisbane. A significant grade separation project is also planned at Tichborne to eliminate the level crossing between Inland Rail and the Newell Highway, enhancing safety and efficiency.
The short-term program emphasizes road safety improvements, including investments in crash barriers, wider medians, audio-tactile line markings, and enhanced junction designs on both state and regional roads. Towns and villages will receive new gateway treatments to slow traffic and improve safety at entry points, alongside better crossings, wider footpaths, and separated cycleways in population centres.
Heavy vehicle rest areas along major highways will be upgraded, and specific safety measures for motorcyclists will be introduced on high-risk routes like the Bells Line of Road and Chifley Road. The plan also addresses resilience, with ongoing studies to identify critical vulnerabilities in the transport network, particularly in relation to floods, bushfires, and other major disruptions.
Further investigations will concentrate on congestion management at Victoria Pass, safety upgrades on the Bells Line of Road, and improving access to health services, housing, and employment opportunities in areas such as Lithgow and the Blue Mountains. Support for shared micromobility options, including e-scooters and e-bikes, is also included to reduce car dependency and enhance local travel choices.
While many projects outlined in the plan will require additional planning and community consultation, Transport for NSW emphasizes that the next five years will focus on delivering tangible improvements to make daily travel easier and safer for residents in these vital regional areas.
