Construction has begun at the site of Sydney’s first purpose-built electric bus depot at Macquarie Park, marking a milestone in the transition towards a zero-emissions public transport network.
Scheduled to become operational in 2028, the state-of-the-art facility in Sydney’s north will house, maintain, and charge 150 cleaner, quieter electric buses.
The depot will bolster existing services currently running out of the ageing Ryde and Willoughby depots, significantly enhancing public transport delivery across Sydney’s lower north shore, north-west suburbs, Ryde, and Parramatta.
Contractor Fulton Hogan starts work on the Talavera Road site at Macquarie Park this week to begin work on the AU$230 million project, which is being jointly funded with a AU$115 million commitment from both the federal and New South Wales governments.
The facility will feature a mix of standard 75-kilowatt and fast 150-kilowatt plug-in charging infrastructure. This technology will enable the high-tech electric fleet to travel up to 300 kilometres on a single charge.
“Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said: “By transforming this site into a state-of-the-art electric bus depot, we are directly investing in cleaner air, quieter streets and a more sustainable transport network for growing communities.”
The initiative is a core component of the state government’s Zero Emissions Bus Program, which aims to deploy more than 1,200 new electric buses by 2028. It serves as the catalyst for a broader phased rollout to transition the state’s entire 8,000-strong diesel and gas fleet over the next two decades.
NSW Minister for Transport John Graham said: “The sight of shovels going into the ground at Macquarie Park is a major step on the path to transitioning our very large NSW bus fleet to the cleaner, quieter, smoother ride of electric buses.”
Once open, the Macquarie Park depot will inject 160 permanent jobs into the local economy, including roles for drivers, maintenance workers, and administrative personnel, on top of the specialised employment generated during the construction phase.