MAN SL202 ADMET Obahn

The Adelaide O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway located in Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.

The route was introduced in 1986 to service Adelaide’s rapidly expanding north-eastern suburbs, replacing an earlier plan for a tramway extension. The Adelaide O-bahn was the first bus rapid transit system in Australia and among the first to operate in the world.

The O-bahn design is unique among public transport systems; busways typically use dedicated bus lanes or separate carriageways, but the O-Bahn runs on specially built track, combining elements of both bus and rail systems. Adelaide’s track is 12 kilometres long and includes one station and two interchanges: Klemzig Station in Klemzig, Paradise Interchange in Campbelltown and Tea Tree Plaza Interchange in Tea Tree Gully. Interchanges allow buses to enter and exit the busway and to continue on suburban routes, avoiding the need for passengers to change.

Buses travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), and the busway is capable of carrying 18,000 passengers an hour, from the Central Business District to Tea Tree Plaza in 15 minutes. Services are operated under contract from Adelaide Metro, an agency of the South Australian Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.