The bus that was promised: North Sydney locals fight for public transport in Western Harbour Tunnel

How many hectares of public parkland buy you a bus lane?

Author

Huw Bradshaw
October 27, 2025

In three years time, there will be a tunnel running from Cammeray and Rozelle, connecting the lower North Shore directly to the Inner West. And with the construction of the tunnel, North Sydney Council has one caveat: it wants buses. 

What happened: Sydney’s Western Harbour Tunnel, slated to finish construction in 2028, has cost the North Sydney LGA much: 3,000 trees, a chunk of heritage-listed space in Cammeray Park, and increased flow of traffic into the CBD. 

  • Locals and councillors argue that for all of that, they should at least get a bus route.

Some in the community became suspicious earlier in the year when a media release from Jenny Aitchison, the Minister for Roads, spruiked the benefits of the tunnel but failed to mention public transport. 

Council shuffles its feet: North Sydney Council is now weighing in on the issue, imploring Aitchison and Minister for Transport, John Graham, to ensure a high-capacity, public bus service for the tunnel.

However, according to Transport for NSW, there are no current plans to establish a bus lane, or bus services in the tunnel.

  • Despite this, project documents from 2018 display “Chatswood Express” and North Sydney bus routes on the front page of an update report. 

The image on the cover of a 2018 project update shows Chatswood and North Sydney bus services.

The local voice: Bay Precinct community representative John Berry told the Lorikeet locals have “always had an expectation that public buses would be part of the mix” in the third harbour tunnel. 

  • “It's also seen by the public as part compensation for all of the damage the project has caused,” said Berry, citing traffic congestion and green space sacrificed for the tunnel’s construction.

Your time starts now: Chatswood Chase shoppers will need to move fast

Free parking is to be cut from three hours to two in a 12-month trial.

Publicly owned tunnel: In 2023, then Opposition Leader Chris Minns announced the new tunnel would remain in public hands.

  • North Sydney Councillor Godfrey Santer told the Lorikeet the “corollary of that is there should be a dedicated bus lane in those tunnels”.

  • Santer also said public transport routes could relieve the influx of traffic into the North Sydney CBD from the tunnel.