There will be a partial restoration of public transport services today in Lismore, the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast to support communities who have not been seriously impacted by the tropical low.  

Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins said commuters should check if their regular bus and train service is running again. 

“Communities on the Mid North Coast in towns like Coffs Harbour, Kempsey and Port Macquarie will see a return to some bus services,” Mr Collins said. 

“All Port Macquarie regular route services, 33 regular route services in Coffs Harbour and Kemspey Town and 285 school services in Port Macquarie will be operational. 

“On demand services in Lismore and Coffs Harbour will also be operational, which will give people more travel options in their local community.” 

In the Northern Rivers areas such as Tweed, Grafton, Yamba, Kyogle, Ballina and Byron, will have over 1000 school services cancelled on Monday as well as 109 regular routes. 

Transport for NSW has been liaising with the Education Department through the State Emergency Operations Centre to ensure a whole of government approach. 

For updates passengers are urged to check Transportnsw.info and the transport apps.  

TrainLink Chief Executive Roger Weeks said from tomorrow NSW TrainLink will recommence limited coach operations through to Grafton. 

“After suspending services late last week due to the condition of roads and the safety of passengers heading to the far north of the state, we have recommenced some of our services,” Mr Weeks said.  

“There will be limited coach services from Taree to Grafton, with altered stopping patterns. At this stage Nambucca Heads and Macksville will be unable to be serviced by NSWTL coaches.” 

“Rail replacement services through to Brisbane will be established while the Australian Rail and Track Corporation (ARTC) have the North Coastline closed, which is with no rail traffic operating north of Taree or south of Acacia Ridge.” 

ARTC has advised that they plan to inspect their network tomorrow via helicopter, and if safe to do so, access to the network via crews on the ground to ascertain any damage. 

ARTC will proactively assess damage and commence rectification. Once the damage has been assessed, ARTC will be in a better position to provide a return to service. 

Transport for NSW works alongside emergency services to reopen major roads as quickly as possible with a focus on safety for all road users, including our crews and emergency service staff in the field. 

When major roads are closed, Transport needs to assess the overall impact of the natural disaster on the roadway and undertake safety reviews and inspections before we can safely reopen the road. In some cases, reopening may involve heavy vehicle load limits and speed restrictions should further repairs be required. 

“Our message is to avoid non-essential travel, but if you do need to drive, please slow down in the wet and drive to the conditions,” Mr Collins said. 

Please follow the directions of our traffic crews and never drive into or enter floodwaters.  

For the latest traffic information on the road network visit www.livetraffic.com, download the Live Traffic NSW app or call 132 701. 

For up-to-date information, including where to find an evacuation centre, visit the NSW SES website www.ses.nsw.gov.au/. For the latest warnings download the Hazards Near Me app. 

For the latest weather warnings, please visit the Bureau of Meteorology website: http://www.bom.gov.au/