Eastern Freeway upgrades will deliver the final six kilometres of Melbourne's first dedicated busway.
Work on the Eastern Freeway Busway from Hoddle Street to Burke Road will complete an 11 kilometre stretch of dedicated express bus lanes running between Doncaster Road and Hoddle Street.
Once finished in 2028, buses will travel at speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour, cutting travel times by up to 30 per cent for more than 6 million bus trips a year.
Melbourne’s first dedicated busway includes connections for local routes at Chandler Highway in Kew and will work with the completed Streamlining Hoddle Street project to make bus journeys to and from the city faster and more reliable. Passenger numbers are expected to exceed those of the Upfield train line.
Eastern Freeway busway
- 11km of dedicated express bus lanes along Eastern Freeway
- Opens 2028
- Travel speeds up to 100km/hr
- 30% faster travel times for buses
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Bulleen Park and Ride opened to passengers in April 2023 as the first piece of the Eastern Busway. Doncaster Park and Ride is being upgraded from early 2025, with the two facilities doubling the number of parking spaces for express bus services along the Eastern Freeway.
Busway lanes from Doncaster Road to Burke Road are already under construction as part of the first stage of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades: Burke Road to Tram Road. Work on the remaining section to Hoddle Street will happen during the next stage: Hoddle Street to Burke Road, with designs currently on public exhibition until 16 November.
Once the Eastern Freeway Upgrades connect with the new 6.5 kilometre North East Link, the combined transport improvements will link Melbourne’s east with the M80 Ring Road, slashing travel times by 35 minutes and taking 15,000 trucks off local roads each day.
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