Commissioning of the new Thornlie Line and driver training were due to begin in mid-July 2005 for the official opening of Thornlie Station on 7 August 2005 and commencement of passenger services the following day.

A contract for the supply and maintenance of 93 new railcars was let to EDI Rail Bombardier Transportation in May 2002.The new railcars are being manufactured in Maryborough, Queensland and fitted out and commissioned at the PTA’s Nowergup Depot in WA.

The first 54 new railcars had been accepted for service by the end of the year. The remaining railcars will be progressively delivered, tested, commissioned and accepted for service by June 2006.

In a significant boost for passenger security, the centralised TV monitoring of Transperth stations began in 2004/05 (see Passenger Safety below).

Replacement of life-expired timber sleepers with concrete sleepers on the Fremantle Line was completed during the year and was about to begin on the Armadale Line, with the Midland Line to follow. Concrete sleepers provide a much more stable track requiring less maintenance.

The recruitment of additional staff in train operations continued to ensure safe and reliable train services. The service reliability target for Transperth train services requires trains to arrive within three minutes of the scheduled time. In 2003/04, an industrial dispute resulted in the on-time arrival rate falling to 89.3 per cent compared with 96.4 per cent the previous year. This deterioration in service was reversed in 2004/05 when 94.4 per cent of services met the reliability target.

Cost of the Service

The total cost of providing train services recorded a significant increase due largely to an increase in capital charges related to New MetroRail. Total expenditure, which amounted to $143.7 million in 2003/04, increased by 32.2 per cent to $190.2 million in 2004/05. Operating cost (which excludes capital charges) rose by 19.3 per cent from $78.7 million to $93.9 million, including the expenditure on the expanded service to Clarkson.

Patronage

In 2002/03 and 2003/04, patronage on Transperth train services had stabilised at around 18.8 million farepaying boardings and 31.1 million total boardings. In 2004/05, train patronage recorded a significant improvement following the extension of the train network to Clarkson, the opening of the station at Greenwood and the introduction of additional rollingstock. Fare-paying boardings rose 6.3 per cent from 18.847 million to 20.038 million and total boardings increased by 4.9 per cent from 31.115 million to 32.652 million.

Since 2000/01, train patronage has recorded increases of 18.4 per cent in fare-paying boardings and 12.1 per cent in total boardings.

While train patronage recorded this significant increase, the expansion of services resulted in train service kilometres increasing at a higher rate, 7.0 per cent. Consequently, on a per service kilometre basis, fare-paying boardings on train services fell by 0.6 per cent from 2.813 in 2003/04 to 2.796 in 2004/05 and total boardings by 1.9 per cent from 4.644 to 4.556.

Customer Satisfaction

The Passenger Satisfaction Monitor 2005 showed that a high proportion of users were satisfied with the train system overall. The small reduction experienced in 2004 when the satisfaction rate fell to 90 per cent was reversed and a rate of 92 per cent was achieved in 2005.