❓ Question regarding the Minister for Transport's assessment of the Metro Area Express light rail project compared to buses and the Forrestfield-Airport Link, focusing on ridership numbers and project justification. The Minister defends the government's transport investments and criticizes previous inaction.
AnsweredQoN 149Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METRO AREA
EXPRESS LIGHT RAIL
149. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the minister's claims in this place that
his preliminary analysis shows the Metro Area Express light rail project does
not stack up compared to buses and other transport projects.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that yesterday he claimed that the 950 bus route had 17 000
boardings per day?
(2) Can the
minister confirm that the proposed airport line, costing $2.2 billion, will
create 20 000 boardings a day across the network?
(3) Can the
minister confirm that the MAX light rail was estimated to generate 100 000 boardings
per day?
EXPRESS LIGHT RAIL
149. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the minister's claims in this place that
his preliminary analysis shows the Metro Area Express light rail project does
not stack up compared to buses and other transport projects.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that yesterday he claimed that the 950 bus route had 17 000
boardings per day?
(2) Can the
minister confirm that the proposed airport line, costing $2.2 billion, will
create 20 000 boardings a day across the network?
(3) Can the
minister confirm that the MAX light rail was estimated to generate 100 000 boardings
per day?
AnswerView source ↗
I look forward
to answering this question in detail.
(1) Firstly, I
will deal with the great 950 bus service, and I appreciate the opportunity to
talk about it again. The 950 bus service, launched 12 months ago by the Public
Transport Authority, is the most frequent service in the Perth metropolitan
area. We have seen outstanding results from that service. Members opposite tell
us that people do not like to catch a bus, but we have seen an increase of one million.
I can confirm that on an average weekday, 17 000 people a day use that service.
On busier days, that number of passengers peaks at around 19 000. That is an
uplift of nearly 39 per cent. What a fantastic outcome.
(2)–(3)
We have talked about the Forrestfield–Airport Link, which is a great
project for a couple of reasons. One of them is about dealing with a growing
city and the congestion issues that we have today. The other one is about a
strategic —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Are you going to answer the question?
Mr D.C. NALDER :
The member was asking for confirmation of the numbers across them all.
The other one is about setting up for the future of this
great state. We are talking about a rail line through to the airport and to
Forrestfield. This has many benefits. It has benefits for the tourism industry
of Western Australia. This will put infrastructure out into the eastern suburbs
that for decades have lacked the infrastructure. We have a city that has been
very north–south focused, and this government is committed —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Forrestfield, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Belmont, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.C. NALDER :
This government is committed to the people out in the eastern suburbs, and we
are delivering for them. The member opposite suggested 3 000 a day for the
Forrestfield–Airport Link.
Ms R. Saffioti :
No, 20 000.
Mr D.C. NALDER : We
are talking about 29 000.
Ms R. Saffioti :
No, 2021.
Mr D.C. NALDER :
Again, by which date? By 2031 we are talking 29 000.
What we are also talking about is the MAX light rail. People
use this number of 100 000. What they have not appreciated —
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
That is your number; you understand that.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : Yes, I do understand it; I understand it very clearly. But we
have to understand what drives the numbers behind it, and that is what I
understand and clearly opposition members do not. In that 100 000, I will just
touch on one example. It assumes the transfer of the CAT services onto the
light rail—the MAX system. That accounts for approximately 50 per cent
of the numbers. We cannot just say that this is a comparison of apples with
apples. What we are doing, whether it is the 950 service we have done out to
Beaufort Street or whether it is the MAX service, they are dealing with a
growth in population, whereas previous governments did nothing about public
transport out into those areas. We are dealing with the issue that exists
today. The Forrestfield–Airport Link project is planning for the future
to make this one of the most liveable cities in the world; and it is a great
piece of infrastructure for that.
to answering this question in detail.
(1) Firstly, I
will deal with the great 950 bus service, and I appreciate the opportunity to
talk about it again. The 950 bus service, launched 12 months ago by the Public
Transport Authority, is the most frequent service in the Perth metropolitan
area. We have seen outstanding results from that service. Members opposite tell
us that people do not like to catch a bus, but we have seen an increase of one million.
I can confirm that on an average weekday, 17 000 people a day use that service.
On busier days, that number of passengers peaks at around 19 000. That is an
uplift of nearly 39 per cent. What a fantastic outcome.
(2)–(3)
We have talked about the Forrestfield–Airport Link, which is a great
project for a couple of reasons. One of them is about dealing with a growing
city and the congestion issues that we have today. The other one is about a
strategic —
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr W.J. Johnston :
Are you going to answer the question?
Mr D.C. NALDER :
The member was asking for confirmation of the numbers across them all.
The other one is about setting up for the future of this
great state. We are talking about a rail line through to the airport and to
Forrestfield. This has many benefits. It has benefits for the tourism industry
of Western Australia. This will put infrastructure out into the eastern suburbs
that for decades have lacked the infrastructure. We have a city that has been
very north–south focused, and this government is committed —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Forrestfield, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Belmont, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr D.C. NALDER :
This government is committed to the people out in the eastern suburbs, and we
are delivering for them. The member opposite suggested 3 000 a day for the
Forrestfield–Airport Link.
Ms R. Saffioti :
No, 20 000.
Mr D.C. NALDER : We
are talking about 29 000.
Ms R. Saffioti :
No, 2021.
Mr D.C. NALDER :
Again, by which date? By 2031 we are talking 29 000.
What we are also talking about is the MAX light rail. People
use this number of 100 000. What they have not appreciated —
Mr B.S. Wyatt :
That is your number; you understand that.
Mr
D.C. NALDER : Yes, I do understand it; I understand it very clearly. But we
have to understand what drives the numbers behind it, and that is what I
understand and clearly opposition members do not. In that 100 000, I will just
touch on one example. It assumes the transfer of the CAT services onto the
light rail—the MAX system. That accounts for approximately 50 per cent
of the numbers. We cannot just say that this is a comparison of apples with
apples. What we are doing, whether it is the 950 service we have done out to
Beaufort Street or whether it is the MAX service, they are dealing with a
growth in population, whereas previous governments did nothing about public
transport out into those areas. We are dealing with the issue that exists
today. The Forrestfield–Airport Link project is planning for the future
to make this one of the most liveable cities in the world; and it is a great
piece of infrastructure for that.
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