Major Contracts

• Contracts were awarded in June 2005 to the Doric Brierty Joint Venture for stations at Rockingham and Warnbro and to JM Moore for a station at Mandurah. Construction was due to commence in August 2005 and the stations are due for completion in December 2006;
• A contract was awarded in March 2005 to the Doric Brierty Joint Venture for the construction of stations at Cockburn Central, Kwinana and Wellard.Work began in June 2005 and is due for completion in December 2006;
• A contract was awarded in October 2004 to John Holland for stations at Canning Bridge, Bull Creek and Murdoch. Construction was due to commence from July 2005 and the stations are due for completion in December 2006;
• A contract was awarded in May 2004 to the RailLink Joint Venture (John Holland, MacMahon Contractors and Multiplex Constructions) for a package of works including track and rail infrastructure, bridging and tunnel structures, earthworks and civil works, and traction power supply from the Narrows Bridge to Mandurah. Design work was nearly complete and earthworks and bridge structures in the area between the Spectacles and Stakehill were well under way. At year’s end, the construction depot at Hillman was being established to accept delivery of sleepers and rail for distribution along the alignment commencing in March 2006.The works are due for completion in February 2007.
• A contract was awarded in February 2004 to the Leighton Kumagai Joint Venture for the City Project. Construction was well under way for the Esplanade Station and William Street platform structures as well as the civil construction works on the Perth foreshore and in Perth railway yards. A tunnel boring machine was delivered from Japan in March 2005 and is due to commence boring the first of the two tunnels in September 2005. This contract experienced delays in late 2004 and early part of 2005 and the works are due for completion in December 2006.
• A contract was awarded in January 2004 to Leighton Contractors for Main Roads WA bridge and freeway works including construction of a railway bridge at the Narrows, strengthening part of the new Narrows Bridge and strengthening and widening of Mount Henry Bridge. At year’s end, most of the freeway median works were approaching completion and the Mount Henry Bridge construction was approximately 80% complete. Construction was due to commence in July 2005 of the Narrows railway bridge and in August 2005 of the Canning Bridge ramp. All works are due for completion in December 2005.

• A contract was awarded in July 2003 to Union Switch and Signal to provide a new train control and customer information system for the existing urban rail network as well as the Southern Suburbs Railway. The first stages were completed during the year, with the Armadale and Midland Lines successfully commissioned into the new system, and a new train control centre constructed at the Public Transport Centre (due to be officially opened in July 2005). The final stage will be completed in February 2007 with the completion of the Southern Suburbs Railway.

BUSES

Description of Services

Transperth bus services were operated by four contractors under 11 contracts in 2004/05:

• Path Transit (Marmion-Wanneroo and Morley contracts);
• Swan Transit (Canning, Kalamunda, Midland and Southern River contracts);
• Swan Transit Riverside (Claremont-Belmont contract); and
• Southern Coast Transit (Rockingham-Mandurah, Fremantle-Cockburn, Perth Central Area Transit and Fremantle Central Area Transit contracts).

During 2004/05, the Transperth bus system covered 318 standard routes and 444 school routes, and on an average weekday operated 9269 standard services and 444 school services. A service frequency of 20 minutes or better was provided all day on some major corridors.

The Year’s Developments

The following were major changes to bus services to minimise the impact on service reliability of construction work for the new Southern Suburbs Railway:

• Kwinana Freeway bus services were revised from 25 July 2004 to facilitate the demolition of the traffic bridge at the foot of William Street, Perth;
• Several southern routes were shortened to terminate at the City Busport and some northern routes shortened to terminate at the Wellington Street Bus Station instead of Barrack Street to accommodate construction works in the city centre.