Sydney's first electric bus depot to be at Macquarie Park

The federal government has announced that construction has begun at the site of Sydney’s first purpose-built electric bus depot at Macquarie Park, jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments to the tune of $115 million each.

The new depot at Macquarie Park will charge and operate 150 cleaner, quieter electric buses and is an important moment for the NSW Government’s phased transition for the state’s 8000-strong diesel and gas fleet over the next two decades. The construction depot is expected to be completed and operational in 2028.

Once open, the depot will employ 160 staff, including drivers, maintenance workers and administration personnel.

The new buses at Macquarie Park will support the existing Ryde and Willoughby depots that were opened in 1953 and 1958 respectively, enhancing service delivery across Sydney’s lower north shore, northwest suburbs, Ryde and Parramatta.

The new depot will have both standard (75 kW) and fast (150 kW) plug-in charging infrastructure, enabling the electric buses to travel up to 300 km on a single charge.

In September last year, Brookvale became the first of Sydney’s 11 bus depots to be fitted out for the electric transformation, with Australia’s first gantry-mounted, fast-charging station installed. Leichhardt and Kingsgrove are expected to have electric bus charging technology installed later this year.

The NSW Government’s Zero Emissions Bus Program aims to deliver more than 1200 new electric buses by 2028.

For Stage 1 of the program, the use of electricity from the grid is supported through purchased renewable energy credits.

Contractor Fulton Hogan starts work on the Talavera Road site at Macquarie Park this week.

“The Australian Government is pleased to be funding this crucial project in Macquarie Park, ensuring Sydney’s transport infrastructure is ready for the future,” said Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King. “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.”

“This depot will support new technology buses and local jobs, to deliver smoother and quieter trips for passengers across the lower north shore, north-west Sydney, Ryde and Parramatta,” said NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Marjorie O’Neill. “The multibillion-dollar program will progressively transition NSW’s 8000-plus diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) public transport buses to electric buses over the next two decades.”

Image courtesy of Custom Denning.