❓ Question on Notice regarding the impact of C-series railcars and the two-zone fare cap on public transport patronage in Western Australia. The Minister provides a positive update on both initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 243Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC TRANSPORT — PATRONAGE
243. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record investment to make public transport more
accessible.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the locally manufactured C-series railcars
will boost capacity across our rail network while creating more local jobs?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house of the impact of this government's two-zone
fare cap on WA's public transport patronage?
243. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record investment to make public transport more
accessible.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the locally manufactured C-series railcars
will boost capacity across our rail network while creating more local jobs?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house of the impact of this government's two-zone
fare cap on WA's public transport patronage?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for Thornlie for that question. Before I start, can I say
happy ninetieth birthday to my Uncle Tony , who is in the gallery.
[Applause.]
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : My Uncle Tony worked for Westrail for
over 40 years, so it is a great link into public transport. He has a hearing
aid, but he does not ever turn it up, so hopefully he heard that. Thank you to
Uncle Tony's family for being here today. It is a big milestone, so we
are having another celebration on Saturday.
(1)–(2) When
it comes to trains, the Labor Party is the party of train and rail
manufacturing. As has been outlined, we have started manufacturing trains in WA
for the first time in 30 years. Our new C-series train is undergoing dynamic testing now along the Mandurah
and Joondalup lines, and there has been some testing on the Thornlie
line, too, member for Thornlie. From all reports, the testing is going well.
The second train is currently at the Nowergup depot and set to begin dynamic
testing in May. Most exciting, the third train, which will have all the
internal components like passenger seating, will be ready in the middle of this year. We are on target to have these running
on the public transport network for passengers by the end of this year. Of course, those trains will be
bigger in the sense that there will be more internal capacity, so this
will continue to support more and more people using our public transport
system.
Importantly, our patronage numbers
show that Western Australians have bounced back when it comes to patronage on our public transport system. We are
now at 92 per cent of pre-COVID levels, but, importantly , when it comes
to standard passengers, we are up to 99 per cent of pre-COVID levels. That is
supported, of course, by the new rail line, but it generally shows how much we
have recovered from those COVID numbers. It
is the strongest recovery of the nation. The only numbers that continue to
impact our patronage data are those for the tertiary, or university,
sector, which continues to have an 85 per cent level compared with pre-COVID
levels. They are very, very strong figures.
Importantly, we have also brought in
the two-zone fare cap for Western Australians. When we look at the growth in
the number of people using our network, we see that the strongest growth is
coming from the outer suburbs. There has been a 13 per cent increase in
passengers from Mandurah, which shows that the two-zone fare cap, which is
delivering enormous savings to people in the outer suburbs, is encouraging more
people back onto public transport. When we talk about the cost of living and
how we can help families, it is measures like public transport and capping
fares, which is delivering enormous savings to people in our outer suburbs.
thank the member for Thornlie for that question. Before I start, can I say
happy ninetieth birthday to my Uncle Tony , who is in the gallery.
[Applause.]
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : My Uncle Tony worked for Westrail for
over 40 years, so it is a great link into public transport. He has a hearing
aid, but he does not ever turn it up, so hopefully he heard that. Thank you to
Uncle Tony's family for being here today. It is a big milestone, so we
are having another celebration on Saturday.
(1)–(2) When
it comes to trains, the Labor Party is the party of train and rail
manufacturing. As has been outlined, we have started manufacturing trains in WA
for the first time in 30 years. Our new C-series train is undergoing dynamic testing now along the Mandurah
and Joondalup lines, and there has been some testing on the Thornlie
line, too, member for Thornlie. From all reports, the testing is going well.
The second train is currently at the Nowergup depot and set to begin dynamic
testing in May. Most exciting, the third train, which will have all the
internal components like passenger seating, will be ready in the middle of this year. We are on target to have these running
on the public transport network for passengers by the end of this year. Of course, those trains will be
bigger in the sense that there will be more internal capacity, so this
will continue to support more and more people using our public transport
system.
Importantly, our patronage numbers
show that Western Australians have bounced back when it comes to patronage on our public transport system. We are
now at 92 per cent of pre-COVID levels, but, importantly , when it comes
to standard passengers, we are up to 99 per cent of pre-COVID levels. That is
supported, of course, by the new rail line, but it generally shows how much we
have recovered from those COVID numbers. It
is the strongest recovery of the nation. The only numbers that continue to
impact our patronage data are those for the tertiary, or university,
sector, which continues to have an 85 per cent level compared with pre-COVID
levels. They are very, very strong figures.
Importantly, we have also brought in
the two-zone fare cap for Western Australians. When we look at the growth in
the number of people using our network, we see that the strongest growth is
coming from the outer suburbs. There has been a 13 per cent increase in
passengers from Mandurah, which shows that the two-zone fare cap, which is
delivering enormous savings to people in the outer suburbs, is encouraging more
people back onto public transport. When we talk about the cost of living and
how we can help families, it is measures like public transport and capping
fares, which is delivering enormous savings to people in our outer suburbs.
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