Adelaide Metro

The State Government has pledged that the Adelaide Metro would use cleaner fuels like biodiesel and natural gas in an effort to make Adelaide a carbon neutral city. In 2016, nearly 80 percent of the Adelaide Metro buses ran on diesel, which is harmful for the environment due to the presence of sulfur.[6] In 2023, the state government announced that a feasibility study was underway to replace Adelaide Metro's ageing diesel train fleet with zero-emission technology.[13]

An Adelaide Metro Scania K280UB

The largest element of Adelaide's public transport system is a fleet of diesel and natural gas powered buses. The majority of services terminate in the Adelaide city centre, suburban railway stations or shopping centre interchanges. As contracts are revised for privatised bus operations, more cross suburban routes are added to the network. In the past, bus routes were largely focused on moving passengers from the suburbs to the CBD.

A major component of the Adelaide Metro bus service is the O-Bahn guided busway to Modbury, carrying around 9 million passengers a year. From its opening in 1986 until August 2011 it was the world's longest busway, with a length of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi). It remains the world's fastest busway with a maximum permitted speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). Away from the O-Bahn, whilst there have been dedicated bus lanes and bus-only signal phases at some traffic lights provided for a number of years, a major improvement to bus priority and reliability arrived with the delivery in July 2012 of the CBD Bus Lane project.[14]

Adelaide Metro buses are split up geographically into six contract regions:

The new contracts began in July 2020 for a period of eight years, with an option to extend for two years.[17]

Former operators which had operated Adelaide Metro services in the past but no longer operate in Adelaide are:

• Serco – ended its contract in 2004, at the contracted half-term break-point, after failing to renegotiate its contract on better terms. Serco had previously informed the Minister for Transport that it was not willing to continue to operate the bus services for a further five years on the terms contained in the then existing Contract. Serco had made a submission to the Department of Transport & Urban Planning proposing to operate the bus services in the contract areas on new terms and conditions. The submission was rejected and the contracts retendered.[12][18]
• Transitplus – following the abolition of joint owner TransAdelaide in late 2010, Transitplus services were taken over by joint owner Australian Transit Enterprises' SouthLink.
• Light-City Buses – operated the North-South and Outer North East contract areas, including the 300 Suburban Connector and O-Bahn services, from 2011 until its purchase by Torrens Transit in 2018.[19][20]

The Adelaide suburban railway network consists of six lines operated by Keolis Downer under contract to the Government of South Australia since January 2021. In 2023, the state government announced that rail services would return to public ownership in January 2025, fulfilling an election committment by the South Australian Labor Party.[21]

Until 2014, the suburban network was the only one in Australia to operate solely with diesel railcars. In 2013–2014, the full lengths of the Seaford and Tonsley lines were electrified, as well as the adjacent segment of the Belair line from Goodwood to its terminus at Adelaide.[22] Electric trains have run on the Seaford and Tonsley lines since 2014. Although the original plans were to electrify the remaining three lines, they were abandoned in 2012.[23] The Gawler line was electrified in 2022.

In July 2019, the government announced the provision of rail services would be contracted out.[24] In January 2021, Keolis Downer began an eight-year contract to operate the Adelaide Metro rail network.[25][26]

As at July 2019, the fleet consists of 70 3000/3100 class diesel railcars and 22 three-carriage 4000 class electric multiple units.[27] All remaining 2000/2100 class train cars were retired from service in August 2015.

The six rail lines all run into Adelaide railway station in the CBD. They are:

• Gawler line: runs north from Adelaide station for 42 kilometres (26 mi), terminating at Gawler Central. This is the most frequent and heavily patronised line on the network. On weekdays some services terminate at Gawler and Salisbury.
• Seaford line: runs south from Adelaide station for 35 kilometres (22 mi) and terminates at Seaford.
• Flinders line: a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) branch of the Seaford line, running to Flinders.
• Outer Harbor line: runs north-west from Adelaide station for 22 kilometres (14 mi) and terminates at Outer Harbor. On weekdays some services terminate at Osborne.
• Grange line: a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) branch of the Outer Harbor line, running to Grange.
• Belair line: runs south-east from Adelaide station for 22 kilometres (14 mi), winding through the Adelaide Hills to terminate at Belair.

Alstom Citadis and Flexity Classic trams

Adelaide's once extensive tram network was dismantled in the middle of the 20th century, leaving only the Glenelg tram running 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) between Victoria Square in the city-centre and Moseley Square on the beachfront at Glenelg. The majority of the line is on a dedicated corridor though the western suburbs, and travels on roadway in the city from the terminus to South Terrace and along Jetty Road in Glenelg.

An extension of the line from Victoria Square down King William Street then along North Terrace opened in October 2007.[29] A further extension along Port Road to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre opened in December 2009. The line has stops adjacent to key city points, including Rundle Mall, the Adelaide Railway Station and the City West campus of the University of South Australia.[30][31]

A 2018 extension added stops adjacent to more key locations including the Festival Theatre, the Art Gallery, the University of Adelaide and the Adelaide Botanic Garden.[32] Construction this new junction, branch lines along the eastern end of North Terrace and King William Road and four new stops began in July/August 2017 and opened in October 2018.[33] There is no fare charged on certain sections of the line.

The line is operated from Glengowrie depot, with 15 Bombardier Flexity Classic trams built between 2005 and 2010[34] and nine Alstom Citadis trams that were built for, but were surplus to their needs of Metro Ligero, Madrid in 2009.[35][36][37] The latter were modified by Yarra Trams' Preston Workshops before entering service. A further three unused former Madrid Citadis trams entered service in 2018.[38][39]

In July 2019, the government announced the provision of tram services would be contracted out.[24] Torrens Connect began operating the trams in July 2020.[16] As part of an election commitment, the government announced in 2023 that tram services would return to public ownership by July 2025.[21]