Campbelltown Council hits out at new Western Sydney Airport bus services over 66 minute journey time for ‘rapid bus route’

One of Sydney’s largest councils has slammed so-called “rapid” bus routes planned for the city’s newest airport over concerns services will only turn up every 30 minutes and take commuters more than an hour to complete in each direction.

One of Sydney’s largest councils has slammed so-called “rapid” bus routes planned for the city’s newest airport over concerns services will only turn up every 30 minutes and take commuters more than an hour to complete in each direction.

Campbelltown Council claims it is being “short changed” over new public bus routes proposed for the new Western Sydney Airport including “slow” connection from Campbelltown which will take 66 minutes to complete – almost doubling the amount of time than it would take to travel to the airport by car.

There are also concerns about proposed bus timetables which the council said will result in services only running every 30 minutes on busy roads without dedicated bus lanes.

“Our community is being short changed with this inadequate service, especially without clear timelines for full delivery,” the council’s objection to the NSW Government stated.

“It might be sufficient for some travellers accessing the airport, but it is too slow and infrequent to support the envisioned worker base travelling to the airport and Aerotropolis each day.”

The NSW Government is currently considering six new routes for the Western Sydney Airport.

Due to open in 2026, Western Sydney Airport will operate 24/7 with an initial capacity for 10 million passengers – increasing to 82 million by 2060 – putting it on par with the current size of Dubai and London Heathrow airports.

Western Sydney Airport’s submission to a NSW government review into critical transport for the region said the success of the airport relied on a mix of “strong public transport” options with minimal interchanges, dedicated services to key population areas, and “frequent and reliable” services.

Campbelltown Council wants services to the airport to connect to Campbelltown every 10 minutes in peak times and 15 minutes off-peak to “discourage car use” and promote the uptake of public transport.

A map of new bus routes proposed for Western Sydney Airport.

Roads surrounding the new airport have come under scrutiny over concerns they may struggle to cope with increased travel demand.

The council says the government should also make the route comparable to journey times by car – requiring a minimum average travel speed of 30km/h.

“Our community does not currently have high take-up of bus services; they are often seen as unreliable, slow and indirect,” the council stated.

“These lacklustre services to the airport will only entrench that sentiment and will not help to establish sustainable travel behaviours across the community.

A photo of the under-construction airport.

“Further limited integrated public transport, car dependency and low access to local job opportunities may have a direct correlation with Campbelltown’s increased chronic health issues.”

The planned route to Campbelltown is one of six new services the NSW Government is currently reviewing for the airport with connections also planned for Liverpool, Mount Druitt and Penrith.

State Labor Campbelltown MP Greg Warren said the proposed services to Campbelltown were a “first step” and aimed at becoming “better” as the new airport grows.

Campbelltown MP Greg Warren.

“The people of Southwest Sydney have been crying out for increased public transport connectivity,” he said.

“As the population in our area grows, the bus services will also grow and provide better and more connections with the communities of the Southwest, the new airport and Bradfield City.”

A Transport for NSW spokesman said the proposed services would “mostly make use of existing infrastructure” and were also a “first step” in future public transport connections for the airport.

The airport is due to open in 2026.

Concerns over public transport for the new airport have meanwhile been echoed by Qantas which is expected to become a major employer once the new airport opens.

The airline has called on the government to learn from current public transport limitations at Kingsford Smith Airport which Qantas says presents barriers for staff due to a “lack of suitable and direct bus services”.

“To establish sustainable transport habits, it is important to address these issues from the outset rather than seeking to unwind these in future,” Qantas wrote in a submission to the government.

State Labor Camden MP Sally Quinnell said the government was committed to ensuring it had the infrastructure in place to support growth in the region.

“The former government was keen to make promises like ‘rapid bus service’, but we’ve been left with a neglected and underfunded bus service,” she said.

“The Minns Labor Government is passionate about promising what we can actually deliver and this means focusing on the infrastructure our community so desperately needs.”