I advised:

As the Member for Wallsend would be aware, works required to realise a $650 million investment by the Government to transform the Newcastle CBD are currently affecting the operation of the bus network.

The Newcastle bus network uses Hunter Street in the Newcastle CBD for the majority of routes. Sections of Hunter Street have been closed as part of the construction program for the implementation of the Light Rail in the CBD. The Hunter Street closure required all traffic including buses, to reroute to the adjacent roads being King Street or Wharf Road. Neither King Street nor Wharf Road has the same roadway capacity as Hunter Street and added traffic has led to significant congestion in the CBD.

Timetables will change on 14 January 2018 with the introduction of the new Newcastle Transport network, which will see more than a thousand extra bus and ferry services a week to be delivered across the Newcastle and the eastern Lake Macquarie region. The new network will improve bus connections between major hubs and the Newcastle CBD offering services every 15 minutes during the day, and will also strengthen links between suburbs and town centres. Timetables will also be updated to better reflect travel times and traffic conditions.