Public Transport Authority

Regional (Transwa)

Transwa is the brand and operating name for the road and rail public transport system serving regional centres. The Transwa network links more than 250 locations from Meekatharra and Kalbarri in the north, throughout the south-west region and east to Kalgoorlie and Esperance. Our purpose is to provide a customer-focussed, safe and cost-effective public transport service to regional WA.

We monitor our performance against a range of non-financial and financial indicators such as customer satisfaction, on-time running and cost per passenger kilometre.

Fleet

The train fleet consists of 14 railcars – seven Prospector, two AvonLink (also used to provide MerredinLink services) and five Australind railcars. We run four distinct services:

• The Prospector provides a daily service (and two on Mondays and Fridays) each way between Perth (the East Perth terminal) and Kalgoorlie for a total of 18 services a week.
• The Australind operates two daily return services between Bunbury and Perth for a total of 28 services a week.
• The AvonLink provides an early-morning weekday (except public holidays) service from Northam to Midland, returning early each evening, for a total of 10 services a week.
• The MerredinLink provides an all-stops return service between Perth (the East Perth terminal) and Merredin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except public holidays), for a total of six services a week.

In 2013-14 Transwa employed 20 railcar drivers based at East Perth and Bunbury. Australind onboard services are provided by Bunbury-based Transwa staff, while a contractor provides onboard services on the Prospector, AvonLink and MerredinLink trains.

The road coach fleet consists of 22 five-star vehicles, operating 144 services a week. We employ 34 road coach operators.

Patronage

Overall patronage fell six per cent, from 2012-13’s 442,831, to 416,241. This can be attributed to lower patronage on the Prospector (down 6.9 per cent), the Australind patronage (down 5.82 per cent), our road coaches (down 5.63 per cent) and the AvonLink (down 11.3 per cent). MerredinLink patronage increased slightly.

Transwa: Total patronage

Transwa trains: Patronage

Patronage - trains

Patronage on our trains fell 6.35 per cent, from 233,877 to 219,030. This was spread across all our services, though the MerredinLink numbers increased by 2.25 per cent.

Patronage - road coaches

Patronage on most routes slipped slightly throughout the year. Some of the decline can be attributed to the termination of five charter/on demand services (Albany to Ravensthorpe, Ravensthorpe to Hopetoun, Boxwood Hill to Bremer Bay, Northam to Mukinbudin and Quairading to Narembeen) in December 2014.

Reliability

The key performance indicator for service reliability is on-time running. Our 2013-14 OTR targets were:

• Prospector - 80 per cent of services to arrive within 15 minutes of schedule*
• Australind - 90 per cent (10min)
• AvonLink - 95 per cent (10min)
• MerredinLink - 95 per cent (10min)
• Road coaches - 95 per cent (10min)

*On the basis of historical data, the Prospector goal was adjusted in 2013-14 from 90 per cent of services to 80 per cent, to reflect a more achievable target.

Transwa: OTR performance (per cent)

The Prospector’s OTR showed a good improvement and was within its adjusted target. The AvonLink and the Australind both went down but were still within reliability targets, but the MerredinLink slipped to 90 per cent, five points below target. The road coaches maintained a high level of reliability (97 per cent), continuing a long record of meeting or bettering performance targets.

Maintenance

The Australind and Prospector maintenance programs continued throughout the financial year, while our Preventative Maintenance Program (PMP) ensured that we maintain a high level of comfort for customers and improved coach reliability and safety. Phase six of the PMP focussed largely on the road coach cooling systems, electrical and many of the steering and suspension components that were beginning to age.

The I-car (intermediate, or middle car of the three-car set) was extensively damaged in a fire incident in August 2013, and a detailed repair task was created. It is expected that the rectification work will be completed by September 2014.

Upgrades

The ongoing review of Transwa bus stop locations (including refreshment facilities) over all services improved the running times.

The exterior paintwork and trimmings on the road coaches was upgraded, with the paintwork extensively refurbished and the front roo bars straightened and refurbished. All exterior door hinges were assessed and replaced as necessary. The stone guards were removed and repainted, and all the safety handrails were removed and powder-coated again in safety yellow.

In the future

In 2013-14 Transwa submitted a business case with the Department of Regional Development (Royalties for Regions) to replace the 22 road coaches with 23 more modern, reliable vehicles. We plan to advertise a tender in July-August 2014 for the supply of road coaches for delivery over the next three financial years.

Infrastructure

Transwa continues to seek funding to ensure disability access at all of the regional stopping places by installing high-level platforms at Yarloop and Carrabin. We plan to start construction of a second high-level platform at Merredin Station before the end of 2014. This will facilitate greater operational flexibility for when the Prospector trains cross between Perth and Kalgoorlie.