Adelaide commuters praise new $160 million O-Bahn tunnel from Hackney Road to Grenfell Street

TAKE a ride through the new $160 million O-Bahn tunnel, which already is attracting praise from commuters for cutting their travelling times in and out of Adelaide.

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O-BAHN passengers have praised the time saved on the new route after the much-anticipated $160 million tunnel opened on Monday, with some making dedicated journeys just to see for themselves.

Bob Godfrey, of Gilles Plains, took the bus into the city to try out the tunnel.

“Some people say it’s only improved by two minutes. It might be two minutes in the middle of the day but in the morning (you) would be sitting on Hackney Rd for 20 minutes,” Mr Godfrey said.

People walk through the new O-Bahn tunnel under Rymill Park on Sunday. Picture: Nick Clayton.

“Hackney Rd was almost a carpark (in peak hour traffic).

“The O-Bahn system is a fabulous transport system.

“I’ve been riding it for about 35 years,” he said.

The new O-Bahn tunnel was open to pedestrians at the weekend. Picture: Nick Clayton.

The 670m tunnel – beginning near the National Wine Centre and ending at East Tce – plus an extra lane created for buses along Hackney Rd, was expected to shave off an average of three and a half minutes per trip.

Geoff McDuff, of Para Vista, was also full of praise for the new additions.

“It’s brilliant,” Mr McDuff said.

“It’s the best thing that’s ever been done.”