New bus route for Ripley Valley and Springfield Central

A new bus service for residents of Ripley Valley will help meet demand for public transport in the booming region.

Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard said from early in the New Year the new 531 route would connect Springfield Central station and Orion Shopping Centre to Yamanto, via the Ripley Village Priority Development Area for the first time.

“This is great news for all those who live, work and visit this rapidly growing district,” Ms Howard said.

“I am proud to be part of a government that is providing new public transport infrastructure to link bus and train services and greater transport flexibility for the local community.”

Ms Howard said that with a travel time of just 26 minutes from Ecco Ripley to Springfield Central train station, the route would provide a convenient and easy connection to the Springfield rail line for residents of Ripley.

“The delivery of the 531 bus route once again proves we are committed to providing reliable, convenient public transport in this strong growth corridor,” she said.

Member for Jordan Charis Mullen welcomed the new route for her community.

“This new service will relieve some of the carparking pressure at Springfield Central station as residents driving in from Ripley and Yamanto will now have another option to get around the local area.”

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) will contribute $6.6 million towards the early provision of public transport services through municipal infrastructure charges levied on developers.

“This is a greenfield project that recognises the importance of delivering effective and efficient solutions to meet the emerging public transport needs of Ripley Valley residents,” he said.

“EDQ, the state government’s specialist land use planning and property development unit, and Department of Transport and Main Roads (Translink) have been working closely on the project since early-2018.

“The proposed service is in response to Translink’s route and demand analysis and follows extensive discussions with Ipswich City Council and Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard.”

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said the services would provide an important new spoke in western Brisbane’s transport network.

“Public transport use across south-east Queensland is at record levels with 182 million trips taken last financial year,” he said. 

“We know that if you provide the right mix of services and new infrastructure and connect it efficiently with other transport, then people will use it.

“We will continue to monitor how the service is used as the community grows and make adjustments where necessary to support passenger needs and travel patterns.”

The 531 route will feature seven stops and will start from Springfield about 5.30am with the last service to terminate at Yamanto about 10pm.

The route will be operated by Westside Bus Company.

The seven stops on the 531 route will be located at:

• Orion Springfield Central
• Springfield Central station
• Providence Parade
• Harmony Crescent, Providence
• Ripley Town Centre
• Parkview Parade, Ecco Ripley
• Yamanto Shopping Centre

For further information on services visit translink.com.au, download the MyTransLink app, or call 13 12 30.

ENDS

Media contact: Ben Doyle (Minister Dick’s office) 0400 775 561