TWO bus lines through South Morang will be replaced before the suburb’s station opens this month. Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has assured Whittlesea bus commuters that at least one new bus route is on the way.
Residents were dismayed when notices appeared on Dyson’s buses announcing the end of the well-used 563 and 571 lines, to take effect when South Morang station opens on April 22. Friends of South Morang spokesman Jack Mercovich said the news had been a sour note as the community waited for the station to open.
PTV said several replacement lines would stop at the new bus interchange at South Morang Station instead of Westfield Plenty Valley Shopping Centre, and passengers could take a pedestrian walkway to the centre.
Mr Mercovich said the 300-metre walk from the new station to the shopping centre was too far for the elderly and parents with small children.
PTV spokeswoman Andrea Duckworth said the Department of Transport was rearranging its services to incorporate the new station, and aimed to increase rather than reduce coverage. She said they would soon announce a new service from South Morang Station to Palisades Estate in north Mill Park Lakes, among other lines, and the 563 and 571 would be replaced with similar services.
“Because it’s a new growing area, we’re trying to boost coverage,” she said. “The bus company got a bit ahead of themselves and put notices up too early.”
Line 563 runs from Bundoora to Greensborough via Epping, South Morang and Plenty Rd. Line 571 runs from Epping Station to South Morang. Both stop at Westfield Plenty Valley Shopping Centre; the 563 stops at both campuses of Mill Park Secondary College.
