Train Replacement Buses

Whenever we close the line for track works and maintenance, we always provide a train replacement bus service, which is designed to match the train service as closely as possible, so we’ll never leave you stranded. 

The buses will meet you on the street or station as signposted, and will drop you as close to your destination station as possible. Just keep an eye out for signage pointing the way or check out your station access map beforehand.

Of course, buses aren’t quite like trains. For starters, you can’t take bikes or surfboards on them. And because they run on roads instead of dedicated tracks, they’re affected by traffic and traffic lights, so they run a little slower.

This means you’ll always need to leave more time for your journey.

Use the calculator below to estimate the travel time required when using replacement buses. Please note, journey times are estimates only and may vary according to the day of the week, the time of day or traffic conditions of the day. At times, train replacement buses may run on express patterns as required.

It is also important to note the calculator below estimates replacement bus travel times only and does not include train travel times where part of the line is still operating. If part of your journey is by train, you'll need to enter the to and from stations where only replacement buses are running. For example, if you're travelling from Joondalup to Perth and there is a line closure between Whitfords and Perth, you will need to enter Whitfords and Perth in the calculator below to estimate the travel time between the two stations. 

Occasionally we have unplanned disruptions where trains need to be immediately cancelled, usually for a short period of time. When this happens, coordinating train replacement buses takes a little longer as our buses are also operating timetabled services throughout Perth.

As soon as we know there’s an issue on the line, Transperth staff immediately find any spare buses and drivers that can assist. Unfortunately, if the disruption occurs during peak periods, most Transperth buses are already serving other Transperth passengers, making it hard to get a large number of buses on the road in such a short period of time. When this happens, we also use non-Transperth buses to try to meet demand, but unfortunately delays will occur.

Visit our Unplanned Disruptions page to find out what to do if you get caught on the system during an unplanned closure.