Reece Waldock

The year reviewed in this report, 2007/08, has been one of the most significant in the relatively short history of the PTA as well as that of its predecessors.

For an organisation in the business of public transport, there can be few achievements more noteworthy than a major expansion of its network – and that’s precisely what we did this year.

The start of passenger services on the Mandurah Line on 24 December, 2007 meant that, overnight, the PTA increased the size of its rail network by 70 per cent; increased its railcar fleet by 34 per cent; added 62 new feeder bus routes; and increased the size of its potential catchment by about four hundred thousand people.

But the real story of the Mandurah Line did not emerge for several months. As early as mid-March 2008 it was obvious that the line, the $1.3 billion jewel in the New MetroRail crown, was a runaway success. Patronage was already nudging the forecast 50,000 weekday boardings, with passenger throughput at some stations well in excess of expectations. To a certain extent, the line became a victim of its own success as car parks began to fill up and peak-hour services approached capacity.

At $1.66 billion, NMR was the biggest public infrastructure undertaking in WA’s history, as statistics for the Mandurah Line alone attest. They include:

As well as the Mandurah Line, NMR had previously delivered the Thornlie spur line and station, View image improvements on the Armadale Line, a major upgrade and extension of the Joondalup Line (to Clarkson, plus the Nowergup Depot), and 31 state-of-the-art three-car trains, View image virtually doubling our rollingstock. This year we unveiled the world-class facilities at Perth Underground View image and Esplanade Station. View image

NMR was a massive, long-term undertaking and my thanks and congratulations go to everyone who worked on the project or contributed in any way. I firmly believe that it will become an iconic piece of infrastructure and that, years from now, people will be able to look back with great pride and say: “I helped build that.”

Our patronage numbers are equally impressive.

By year’s-end, total boardings on the bus, train and ferry system which Transperth operates across the greater metropolitan area were at 108.8 million, up 7.8 per cent from 2006/07’s 100.9 million (which was the first time we had topped 100 million). Fare-paying boardings rose 10.1 per cent to 68.2 million. In considering the relative contributions, the impact of the Mandurah Line is immediately apparent – with only six months’ contribution from the new line, annual train total boardings jumped 19.2 per cent (to 42.6 million) and fare-paying boardings 25.6 per cent (to 28.5 million); while the corresponding bus figures were 1.7 per cent (to 65.7 million) and 1.2 per cent (to 39.4 million). In its first six months of operation (the second half of the year under review) the Mandurah Line contributed around 28 per cent of fare-paying boardings, compared with 27 per cent from the Joondalup Line. Even its most ardent supporters had not expected the Mandurah Line to outstrip the all-conquering Joondalup Line – at least certainly not at this early stage.

To say that we were simply in the right place at the right time … that we just happened to open the Mandurah Line (and effect a host of other rail, bus and infrastructure improvements across our whole system) at a time when support for public transport was on the rise, is to do our planners a great injustice. NMR was 10 years in the planning and about five years in construction. We knew that Perth’s suburbs would continue to sprawl south and, to a lesser extent, north, and we knew that we had a responsibility to provide the best possible public transport service to these new and future communities.

However, not even the most prescient of planners could have predicted the pace at which patronage would increase, propelled by the pressure of three significant factors:

The confluence of the latter two points meant the uptake of public transport increased around the country (and the world). Factoring in the resources boom, an influence unique to WA, meant that we were under even more pressure. Further, an analysis of patronage patterns suggests that the improved connectivity offered by the upgrading and expansion of our integrated bus/train system itself became a drawcard, especially for day-trippers and family groups who took advantage of the excellent value offered by our DayRider and FamilyRider tickets.

Despite this pressure, Transperth, continued to provide a very high level of service, as did our regional operator, Transwa. The on-time running (OTR) of our urban trains improved to 90.2 per cent and should continue its upward trend after being kept to the mid-80s for two years in a row because of extensive trackwork, including for NMR. Bus reliability moved in the other direction, falling from 85.9 to 82.6 per cent. However, the result for both modes also reflected the introduction of sophisticated new OTR recording systems, which allow a much higher level of precision. At Transwa, though the AvonLink (99 per cent) View image and road coaches (95) View image achieved excellent OTR results, the MerredinLink (84) and especially the Prospector (42) View image were badly affected by a significant program of works to upgrade the Eastern Goldfields Railway (EGR), which started in August, 2007 and is not due for completion until August 2008. The Australind (83 per cent) View image was affected by speed restrictions imposed because of track conditions. However, this track is also about to undergo a major upgrade which, though it will disrupt services through much of 2008/09, should provide much better results in years to come.

Transperth and Transwa both continued to enjoy strong customer support during the year, as evidenced by another round of high passenger approval and satisfaction levels in our annual Passenger Satisfaction Monitor (PSM). Overall satisfaction with the level of service offered by Transwa was 88 (previously 89) per cent; for Transperth (system-wide) it was virtually steady at 82.4 (83) per cent. Within that Transperth figure, the modal breakdown showed that overall satisfaction with our trains improved to 90 (previously 87) per cent, buses slipped to 78 (81) and ferries edged up to a remarkable 97 (96) per cent. Part of the reason for the train improvement (as well as Mandurah) was a welcome upturn in passenger safety perceptions on our system. Reflecting the big effort the PTA puts into passenger safety and security – especially on the rail system – the number of PSM respondents who said that they felt safe on board our trains at night jumped sharply to 78 (previously 71) per cent. The number who feel safe at stations and interchanges at night went up even more, from 58 to 68 per cent. The daytime figures were unchanged at 98 (on-board) and 96 (at the station) per cent.

Our school and regional town bus operations refined and expanded their services during the year and both continued to offer a high level of service to their respective customer bases.

Another milestone in an eventful year was the successful completion of the first 12 months of full operation of the SmartRider electronic ticketing system. View image Because of its flexibility and convenience, SmartRider – still the only operating system of its kind in Australia – has ushered in new levels of customer service. It has also given us, for the first time, immediate and precise statistical information on passenger movements, enabling us to more accurately refine our services to better suit our customers.

There is no doubt that we are on the brink of a revolution. Attitudes are changing and behaviour is changing. Public transport is seen as one of the ways in which we can achieve a sustainable future and, just as importantly, it is recognised as a viable solution accessible to everyone. We are on the verge of a period of major expansion for the public transport sector, the scene for which has been set over the past decade. The recent rate of growth has been remarkable. In 1968/69, 78/79 and 88/89, total boardings were in the mid-60s (million). Ten years later it was 74.3 million. In the next financial year, we expect the figure to comfortably exceed 110 million.

The boom has also reinvigorated development in the central city area, where construction is battling to keep up with demand for office and retail space. Over the next five to six years, the number of people working in and around the CBD is expected to increase by 20,000 to 30,000, placing enormous pressure on the already-straining road system and parking facilities. Increasing traffic congestion comes at a huge economic, environmental and social cost to the city. It is now being accepted that we cannot keep building roads; bus and train services will be the major means by which these pressures are overcome.

This also has not been unforeseen – as reported last year, we took a big step towards meeting this growing demand by ordering a further 15 three-car train sets (45 railcars), View image deliveries of which are expected to start at the beginning of 2009. These trains, the same as those ordered through NMR, are quieter, offer improved acceleration and comfort, have a practical see-through design and feature regenerative braking for improved energy efficiency. We have also accelerated deliveries of the Euro 4 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, View image with 233 expected over the next three years. While we have reconfigured and slightly expanded some of our car parking areas along the Mandurah Line and have a program under way to extend parking on the Joondalup Line, we are also working actively to encourage our customers to look for ways other than Park ‘n’ Ride (e.g. bus, cycle, walk or drop-off) to get to the train.

Together with these various infrastructure acquisition and construction programs, the successful completion of the NMR project means the PTA is well-placed to stay ahead of the game at a time when transport authorities in other jurisdictions are falling behind or, at best, scrambling to keep up. Most importantly, we have a dedicated and enthusiastic team of people – the most valuable resource of all – who are committed to their workmates, the PTA and the future of their industry.

I am confident the PTA will rise to the occasion and stay ahead of demand for transport services in what seems certain to be one of the most challenging periods the sector has ever faced.

Reece Waldock, Chief Executive Officer

Reece Waldock

Chief Executive Officer