Under the timetable changes, maximum waiting times will be reduced to 30 minutes from morning peak to last service every weekday and all day on weekends along the Belair, Gawler, Outer Harbor and Seaford lines.

The $22 million spend, which was announced by the previous government in the 2017 budget, will come into effect on April 22.

Transport minister Stephan Knoll described the timetable changes as a “great win for the commuters of South Australia.”

“What this will mean for commuters is shorter waiting times, it will mean in many cases quicker frequency of services and quicker services overall especially for those on the Seaford line,” Knoll told reporters this morning.

“The biggest wins that consumers are going to see are very much on weekends where the maximum wait times are coming down from up to an hour down to half an hour.”

Under the changes, the government will introduce express services on the Outer Harbor line from Glanville during the morning peak period, increased Seaford semi-express services in peak periods and new services commencing from Noarlunga Centre during the morning peak rush.

However, the spur lines Tonsley and Grange will remain unchanged.

“These short-term wins that we’re delivering today will be added upon,” Knoll said.

“This is the first step in many more positive changes around improving public transport.”

When pressed by reporters on one of the proposed changes – a Liberal Party election promise to introduce a right-hand turn on the North Terrace tramline extension – Knoll said the government was working “very quickly” to deliver on its pledge.

“The North Terrace extension is in the final stages of completion on the current plans,” he said.

“We need to get that system up and running and from there we’ll work very quickly to deliver on our election promise to deliver the right-hand turn.

“Within the next weeks we will see progress to complete this (North Terrace extension) and I look forward to opening this new tram extension in the very, very near future.”

Knoll said the Liberal government still opposed Labor’s plans to extend the tramline to Norwood, but it remained open to an extension into North Adelaide.

“We were very clear about our mind remaining open to the extension to North Adelaide – that’s something that we’re currently working through with the department and we’ll be making further decisions and announcements about that in due course.”