The government defends its record on revitalising train services to Bunbury and the South West, highlighting replacement bus services during the Armadale Line shutdown, new trainset construction, and station upgrades. It criticises the previous Liberal-National government's handling of regional rail.

AnsweredQoN 1399Legislative Assembly
Asked
15 October 2024
Portfolio
Deputy Premier; Treasurer; Minister for Transport; Tourism

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to WA Labor's "200 Fresh Ideas for WA", specifically promise number 103 titled "Deliver revitalised train services to Bunbury and the South West.", and I ask: (a) Has the Government delivered any revitalised train services to Bunbury and the South West since 13 March 2017: (i) If yes, please detail each of these revitalised train services and the date on which they came into effect; and (ii) If no, please detail each of the proposed revitalised train services to Bunbury and the South West: (A) When will each of these proposed revitalised train services be operational?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
26 November 2024
Response time
12 days
Australind rail services have been replaced by coaches during the Armadale Line Shutdown. Each Australind service has been replaced with two road coaches, one operating an all-stops service; the other a limited-stop service. In recognition of this disruption, a 50 per cent discount is being provided on fares during the Shutdown.
We are constructing two new three-car Australind sets at the Bellevue Railcar Manufacturing Facility.
Cookernup, North Dandalup, and Yarloop Stations have been upgraded, and upgrades are underway at Armadale and Byford.
The Liberals and Nationals have no credibility when it comes to regional public transport.
The Liberal-National privatisation of the State’s regional rail network means that passenger services do not have any priority over other services.
Further, despite knowing that the previous Australind trainsets had a thirty-year operational life, meaning the train should have been replaced by 2017 at the latest, the former Liberal-National Government refused to fund or plan for its replacement. This neglect meant the train has experienced increased mechanical issues in its final years, impacting reliability.

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