This new Sydney suburb almost had it all – but spent more than a decade waiting for one thing

As residents moved into the 966 new lots of Campbelltown housing development Macarthur Heights from 2013, it felt like their new suburb had it all.

The 122 hectare site, established by NSW government developer Landcom, had clean paths, playgrounds, barbecues, shops and even a university campus. But one thing was missing: public transport to get residents between them all.

But things will change in July, when Transport for NSW and private bus operator Transit Systems begin running the 849 route, moving between Macarthur railway station and Macarthur Square, Campbelltown TAFE, Campbelltown Hospital and the Western Sydney University campus. It will run every 30 minutes from 6am to 10pm daily.

“This is a classic Sydney story,” Transport Minister John Graham said. “The fact that we’ve got these suburbs on the outer-west of Sydney, houses without public transport, is a real issue.”

The Herald’s Stranded Sydney series last month revealed major gaps in public transport across much of Sydney’s urban fringe, despite promises for infrastructure improvements by successive governments.

Geographic constraints on the suburb were previously identified as an issue for new services. “Macarthur Heights is constrained by the Hume Highway to the west, Narellan Road to the north and the rail corridor to both the east and south, resulting in limited road access,” then-transport minister Andrew Constance said in 2020 in response to questions from local Labor MP Greg Warren.

A community group that Landcom had established, now run entirely by locals, had been campaigning for bus services in the suburb for a long time. The group, which began with 10 people, now has 450 residents.

“When Jo Haylen was transport minister, we met in the university [in the suburb],” said MD Huq, the group’s secretary. “That was the first interaction we had with the NSW government.”

Group treasurer Mohammad Alauddin adds: “So it’s nearly five years.”

The bus service means that locals will, for the first time, be able to travel across and out of the suburb without needing to drive.

Antonella Panozzo, a mother of two, said the bus would allow her to get to work at a nearby Chemist Warehouse without having to pay for all-day parking at the shopping centre.

“I’ve got a 13-year-old with autism, and when he was in year 7 last year, some random offered him a lift … he doesn’t know the rules, he was lazy, so he took the lift, which is quite scary. So safety-wise, it’s really important.”

Earlier this year, the government announced five new bus routes would run in the vicinity of the new Western Sydney International Airport, connecting workers to Campbelltown and beyond.