Transport in the Northern Territory

The Stuart Highway in the outback Northern Territory, close to the Tropic of Capricorn.

The Australian territory of Northern Territory (NT) has a complex multimodal transport network. Due to its sparse population and the distance between towns, the territory mainly relies on road trains and freight trains for the transportation of goods, but also has air freight services. A big portion of the roads in the Northern Territory are managed by the Northern Territory Government, however some roads in cities are managed by the local council or under private management.

Road transport

Further information: List of road routes in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has a network of roads that connect its inner cities and townships, including the towns of Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. These roads are primarily managed by the Northern Territory Government, but some are also managed by the Local Government Association Northern Territory and by individual city councils. These roads are crucial, as it is one of the only ways that remote towns in the Northern Territory are connected.

Major roads in the Northern Territory include the Stuart Highway, which connects the territory with South Australia, the Victoria Highway, which connects it with Western Australia and the Barkly Highway, which connects it with Queensland.

The Northern Territory road network is over 36,000 kilometres (22,000 mi) long and has more than 220 managed bridges.

Buses

The first bus service in the Northern Territory commenced in 1949 at Darwin and was served by Leyland B21s and AEC Reliances.