The New South Wales government has officially handed down its budget for 2025/26, with transport being a major winner in the funding announcements made.
The third budget handed down by the Minns Labor government provides a $452 million investment to expand and maintain bus services in growing areas of the state, while also providing a boost to major road safety projects.
The bus provision includes the introduction of 50 new ‘bendy’ buses while increasing the regularity of school bus services in the outer suburbs.
The budget announcement is much needed for bus passengers, with Sydney commuters recently having to handle long queues and cancelled services due to bus driver shortages.
Alongside this bus focus, the state government has also invested in congestion busting improvements to the arterial road network, including delivering new and widened roads, new intersections and safety improvements.
“In partnership with the Australian government, the 2025-26 budget provides an additional $909.2 million for roads across NSW,” the government says.
“This budget also includes over $2.8 billion in road safety funding, including for safety trials, intersection upgrades and new barriers and median strips, delivering on commitments in the 2026 Road Safety Action Plan.
“The 2025-26 budget is supporting the continuation of our Toll Reform Program with $58 million to establish, operate and manage the NSW Motorways Entity.”
When it comes to road transport projects, the NSW government’s budget includes matching funding on a $500 million project with the federal government to kickstart the Mona Vale Road West project, $35 million for the Thornton Rail Bridge, $20 million for motorway ramps at Dapto, $15 million for the Yass Road, Bungendore Road and Ellerton Drive intersection at Queanbeyan East and $48 million to improve mobile coverage on major regional highways.
The budget also invests $2.8 billion in partnership with the federal government to tackle road safety through the 2026 Road Safety Action Plan.
This includes the delivery of life-saving road safety infrastructure upgrades such as intersection upgrades, safety barriers, wider medians and road widening.
On the Central Coast, the budget also contains funding over the next four years including:
- $84 million to begin work on the $420 million Wyong Town Centre upgrade
- $75 million for the Terrigal Drive upgrade
- $50.7 million to continue upgrading Kincumber’s Avoca Drive
- $47.8 million to continue the Tumbi Road and Central Coast Highway intersection upgrade
- $29 million to continue planning and designing the Gosford Bypass
- $15 million for the Empire Bay Drive Intersection strategy
- $150 million state-wide investment to expand bus routes in regional areas and Sydney’s outer suburbs
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