Transwa

Transwa is the brand and operating name for the road and rail public transport system serving regional centres in the southern half of Western Australia. Our purpose is to provide a customer-focussed, safe and cost-effective public transport service to regional WA.

We monitor our performance against a range of non-financial and financial indicators such as customer satisfaction, on-time running (OTR) and cost per passenger kilometre.

Objectives and outcomes

OBJECTIVE	OUTCOME
To provide customer-focussed passenger transport services for regional WA	We maintained a high level (90 per cent) of overall customer satisfaction, with cleanliness, punctuality and staff manner rating highly, reflecting a commitment to continuous improvement
To provide safe and cost-effective passenger transport services for regional WA	While maintaining an emphasis on safety, we continued to look for opportunities to lift our commercial performance without compromising our high level of customer service
Services to arrive within acceptable punctuality parameters (within 15 minutes of schedule for the Prospector and within 10 minutes of schedule for all other services)	OTR improved in most areas with AvonLink, MerredinLink and road coach services maintaining consistently high levels; the Prospector was up slightly, though Australind services were adversely affected by the concrete re-sleepering program between Armadale and Mundijong

Review of performance

Trends in patronage

Overall patronage increased fractionally from 2010-11’s 446,637, to 449,804, due mainly to a 10.1 per cent increase in Prospector numbers and a slight increase in AvonLink and MerredinLink patronage.

Transwa: Total Patronage

Service reliability and information

The key performance indicator is OTR and 2011-12 targets were:

Prospector - 90 per cent of services to arrive within 15 minutes of schedule
Australind - 90 per cent (10min)
AvonLink - 95 per cent (10min)
MerredinLink - 95 per cent (10min)
Road coaches - 95 per cent (10min)

Transwa: OTR performance

The combined effect of Brookfield Rail’s rolling program of track upgrade work and crossings with other trains impacted on the Australind’s OTR, which ended the year at 89 per cent, down from 2010-11’s 95 per cent.

The performance of the other trains was good - the AvonLink remained very strong at 99 per cent (98 per cent previously) while the MerredinLink was 94 (92) per cent and the Prospector 77 (75) per cent.

The road coaches maintained a high level of reliability - 97 (previously 98) per cent of services arrived within the time parameter, continuing a long record of meeting or bettering performance targets.

Passenger satisfaction

Overall customer satisfaction was maintained at a very high level. The Transwa Passenger Satisfaction Monitor (PSM), conducted in the second half of the year, showed that 90 per cent of our passengers were either satisfied or very satisfied with our service performance.

Transwa: Customer Satisfaction

Passenger safety

Transwa continued to provide a very safe service for customers through its commitment to safety systems, procedures and processes. The number of passenger injuries during the year remained very low.

Efficiency

The average cost per road coach passenger kilometre remained at last year’s $0.22, though the rail equivalent went down 5.29 per cent to $0.40.

Transwa: Average Cost per passenger kilometre

Revenue and expenditure

Revenue was up 7.2 per cent at $11.22 million, due mainly to a fare increase in July 2011 and increased passenger numbers on the Prospector. At the same time, expenditure was higher than in 2010-11 - up 0.61 per cent to $46.51m.

Transwa: Revenue (millions)

Transwa: Revenue (millions) by service

Transwa: Expenditure (millions)

In the future

Transwa will replace its booking system in 2012-13 with a more functional and modern system.

Transwa trains

The train fleet consists of 14 railcars - seven Prospector, two AvonLink (also used to provide MerredinLink services) and five Australind railcars. We run four distinct services:

The Prospector provides a daily service (and two on Mondays and Fridays) each way between Perth (the East Perth terminal) and Kalgoorlie for a total of 18 services a week
The Australind operates two daily return services between Bunbury and Perth for a total of 28 services a week
The AvonLink provides an early-morning weekday (except public holidays) service from Northam to Midland, returning early each evening, for a total of 10 services a week
The MerredinLink provides an all-stops return service between Perth (the East Perth terminal) and Merredin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (except public holidays), for a total of six services a week.

In 2011-12 Transwa employed 17 railcar drivers based at East Perth and Bunbury. Australind onboard services are provided by Bunbury-based Transwa staff; a contractor provides onboard services on the Prospector, AvonLink and MerredinLink.

The year’s developments

The last of the new seats were fitted into the Australind railcars to improve comfort for passengers and to improve the overall appearance of the train.

The maintenance program for the Prospector continued and this year included the AvonLink railcars, with the bogies being replaced. The engines and transmissions continue to be on the ongoing maintenance program for Transwa railcars.

Plans for a new entertainment system and seats continued for the Prospector with the critical design review taking place in the latter half of 2011-12. The new seats and entertainment system will improve the overall amenity of the train and are due for installation in 2012-13.

Patronage

Patronage on Transwa rail services increased 1.7 per cent from 2010-11’s 233,711 to 237,734, largely driven by a 10.1 per cent increase in Prospector patronage. The AvonLink and MerredinLink both experienced slight increases (3.1 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively) but Australind patronage continued to decline.

Australind passenger numbers fell 4.9 per cent to 115,835, with a major contributing factor being the continuing impact of the Forrest Highway (which has significantly reduced the time of road travel between Bunbury and Perth) and delays caused by the completion of the concrete re-sleepering program between Armadale and Mundijong. The service will be reviewed in 2012-13 to see how it can better meet community expectations.

Transwa Trains: Patronage