Access to station facilities forms an integral part of passengers’ overall public transport journeys. In recognition of this the PTA is developing a Station Access Strategy for each station on the existing passenger network considering how passengers currently travel to the station and any key improvements to station access infrastructure that can improve journeys and encourage greater use of rail infrastructure. While each station is unique across the network, the strategies focus on prioritising active travel modes (walking and cycling) followed by bus and finally private vehicle travel (vehicle drop-off and parking) for travel to stations.
As part of the development of each strategy, extensive consultation is undertaken with the Department of Transport, the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Main Roads Western Australia, Local Government Authorities and other stakeholders as appropriate. This ensures all views are represented within the strategy, and that the PTA’s vision for the station is consistent with other government planning and policies.
There are three key objectives of the Station Access Strategies:
- Improve the quality, amenity and safety of journeys to stations for existing public transport users;
- Encourage more users to public transport, by providing an easier first and last mile transfer between their home and the station; and
- Provide sufficient capacity within station access facilities to meet ongoing growth in demand for the rail network, as identified by the Rail Growth Plan.
The Station Access Strategies are being developed as part of a staged approach with all strategies likely to be completed by mid-2020. Once completed, strategies are used to inform the PTA’s long-term planning, project definition, support stakeholder submissions for infrastructure improvements and measure progress of patronage and mode split against key targets. As part of this work, the PTA will increasingly look to work with other stakeholders to deliver the improvements to station access identified in each strategy.