South Australian Public Transport Strategy Review and Adelaide Integrated Transport Strategy Target Congestion for Local Residents

The City of Adelaide endorsed its Integrated Transport Strategy on 22 July 2025, replacing the lapsed 2012-2022 Smart Move strategy. At the same time the South Australian Government is reviewing regional public transport and developing a state-wide Public Transport Strategy for the next 30 years. These steps focus on congestion in the CBD and inner suburbs, where the South Australian Transport Strategy 2025 identifies the most significant challenges over the coming decades.

Why the Reviews Matter for Adelaide Now

Public transport trips recovered to 67.7 million in 2023-24 after the pandemic but remain below pre-Covid levels. Four in five journeys across Adelaide are still made by car, and only 12 per cent of city centre residents use public transport. The Australian Government has committed $6 million to planning rail network extensions and rail fleet decarbonisation as part of broader improvements. These figures show the scale of current travel patterns that the new strategies aim to address.

Residents in the CBD and inner suburbs face peak-hour bottlenecks on key arterial roads. Regional communities are included in the consultation process for the state-wide strategy. The reviews therefore connect local road conditions with longer-term service planning that affects both daily commutes and access to regional centres.

What the Changes Mean for Daily Travel

Adelaide residents who rely on arterial roads during peak periods will see planning work that targets those bottlenecks. City centre workers and visitors may encounter future options tied to the $5 million allocated for rail extensions and the $1 million for fleet electrification. Regional residents gain a direct channel through the open consultation on the 30-year Public Transport Strategy.

The City of Adelaide’s Integrated Transport Strategy sets the local framework that replaces the earlier Smart Move document. State-level work on regional services runs alongside it, creating separate but linked processes that residents in both metro and country areas can follow through the published consultation channels.

Next steps involve continued consultation for metro Adelaide and regional communities as the state-wide strategy is developed. The City of Adelaide will implement the measures set out in its endorsed Integrated Transport Strategy while the federal funding supports specific rail planning projects.