Ultra-late Saturday train trial to continue
- Saturday night (4am Sunday) late train trial to continue for 12 months
- Friday night (4am Saturday) service will not continue due to low patronage
The State Government will extend the trial of the ultra-late Saturday night trains for a further 12 months to continue to provide a safe and reliable option for revellers travelling home from the city in the early hours of the morning.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell said the six-month trial of the 4am trains showed the Saturday service was significantly more popular than the Friday service, which would not be continued.
“The Saturday night (4am Sunday) service, while attracting a modest number of passengers, carried more than twice the number of Friday night patrons over the course of the trial,” Mr Buswell said.
“Figures from the trial indicate the 4am service has not reduced average patronage numbers on the existing 2.15am services and they had in fact increased on Saturday nights.
“Unfortunately the Friday night (4am Saturday) service was relatively poorly patronised over the course of the trial, and it is simply not viable to continue this service.
“The Saturday night trains will continue for a further 12 months, over which time I hope we will see a further increase in its patronage.”
The Minister said it was important the Government utilised its resources in the best way possible to provide services people wanted.
“This trial demonstrated that this Government is willing to respond to public demand for late night public transport, however these services are costly - particularly in regard to staffing - and we need to ensure taxpayer dollars are invested wisely,” he said.
“I encourage users of the late Saturday trains to continue to utilise this service and to encourage others to get on board also to give this service the best chance of continuing beyond the next 12 months.”
The Sunday 4am trains will continue on each of the five rail lines. The last Saturday 4am trains will leave Perth at 4am on Saturday, April 28. Following this, the last Friday night trains will run at 2.15am (Saturday).
Fact File
- Over the five months to the end of March 2012, about 16,400 people caught the 4am trains - about 900 per weekend
- The 4am Sunday service, as well as the Saturday and Sunday 2.15am services, will continue to be offered free of charge