Transperth TransWA - general articles, discussion

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> Perth bus, train commuter numbers falling sharply

PERTH commuters are abandoning buses and trains at an unprecedented rate, which is bad news for motorists already frustrated with congestion on the roads.

After patronage dropped to a four-year low in 2015-16, new figures reveal an even more dramatic fall in the first three months of 2016-17.

The Opposition said the trend was disturbing, but Transport Minister Bill Marmion said the softening economy had seen fewer commuters travelling into the CBD.

Mr Marmion also conceded that cheaper petrol and improved roads may have seen some people return to their cars.

The latest data shows there were 1.7 million fewer public transport journeys across the metropolitan area in July, August and September compared with last year, a fall of 4.5 per cent.

The decline was across all train lines, but included an extraordinary 15 per cent fall in patronage on the Armadale line, from 2.27 million to 1.92 million journeys.

Overall bus journeys were down about 915,000, or 4.3 per cent.

The unprecedented rate of decline comes after public transport patronage fell by 3.2 million journeys (or 2.1 per cent) in 2015-16.

Shadow transport minister Rita Saffioti said the trend was disturbing and declining public transport patronage was not good news for suburban congestion.

It also meant the State was collecting less in fare revenue.

"The continued falls in patronage on the heritage lines like Armadale are a result of a lack of investment on these lines by the Barnett Government," she said.

"We need to invest in our existing infrastructure, upgrading stations and creating more density around these stations on our heritage lines to increase patronage."

Curtin University transport expert Peter Newman said the trend was "not pleasant".

"It's like the boom never happened and Perth has slipped back to being a big country town," Professor Newman said.

Earlier this year, he said Perth's declining public transport patronage defied international trends.

"We have built Gateway WA and widened the freeway and the tunnel," he said.

"We did a small rail extension and committed to the airport rail, which are good projects.

"But it is still a glaring hole that we could not build MAX light rail."

Despite the patronage fall, Mr Marmion said consecutive surveys showed people who used public transport were overwhelmingly happy with the service level.

"We've got more buses, covering more kilometres, and more railcars out on the network than ever before," he said.

Ferry patronage for the three months jumped 80 per cent on last year, to 137,396 from 76,219 journeys.

[#Metro]

Perth has an excellent network, both bus and train.

Probably just a reflection of the mining boom downturn.

[ozbob]

^ yes.  Looking forward to my January visit ..

[ozbob]

WA Today --> Perth public transport patronage down as WA pumps $1.3 billion into Metronet

Patronage on Transperth services has dropped to its lowest levels in six years just as the McGowan government announces a $1.3 billion boost to extend Perth's public transport network.

Five million less trips were made in 2016-17, with train rides down 4 percent and bus rides down 3 percent despite customer satisfaction being at an all time high.

This year's Transperth Passenger Satisfaction Monitor – an annual survey of 4,000 customers – shows nine in ten passengers were happy with the service.

Perth Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said the drop in passengers was caused by the economic downturn.

"The widely-reported procession of jobs and businesses out of the CBD was the biggest single factor behind the patronage fall," he said.

"While there is only anecdotal evidence of the number of CBD jobs which have disappeared, 20,000 public transport users would translate to ten million trips a year."

Mr Hynes said discretional use, represented in a drop in DayRider and FamilyRider tickets, suggested that people had less disposable income.

"[People] are choosing to stay at home or are at least being more measured in their amount of leisure activity," he said.

In the same satisfaction survey, 26 percent of passengers said they felt unsafe at train stations at night, compared 24 percent in 2016.

At bus stops 22 percent of patrons said they felt unsafe at night, compared to 21 percent last year.

Strange people, drunks and drug users and a lack of security are the main reason for safety concerns of passengers.

A lack of security was cause for concern for 57 percent of female passengers who said they felt unsafe on trains at night – rising 17 percent from the previous year.

"As has been well documented in the media, violent and antisocial behaviour seems to be happening more frequently in society as a whole – this is also reflected in the results of the PSM," Mr Hynes said.

Mr Hynes said any antisocial behaviour was unacceptable on Transperth services.

"Our trains, buses, platforms and stations across the network are regularly monitored in a variety of ways including by our team of highly-trained transit officers, mobile patrols, private security contractors, our high-tech 10,000+ camera CCTV system and 24-hour Central Monitoring Room (CMR)."

The passenger survey comes on the back of the WA government allocating funding for two key projects in the WA government's Metronet plan - the Joondalup line extension to Yanchep and the Thornlie Line extension - in the 2017 budget.

"As more Metronet public transport projects come online, patronage will grow naturally as more services are located closer to where people live and want to travel," Mr Hynes said.

"The project will also help grow a network of well-connected activity centres across Perth, another vital step to ensuring a sustainable, accessible public transport network for the future."

The state government also earmarked $500,000 of the budget for a public awareness campaign aimed at enticing more patrons to public transport.

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> Perth man charged over Joondalup line 'train surfing stunt'

A 23-YEAR-OLD man has been charged after he was allegedly caught train surfing on the Joondalup line on Saturday.

The man is alleged to have spent four minutes standing on the back of the train he boarded at Leederville Station about 4.30pm.

The train reached speeds of up to 110km/h while the man allegedly clung on to a windscreen while nervous freeway passengers filmed the alleged stunt on their mobile phones.

The man allegedly moved on to the carriage when the train reached Glendalough Station.

The Public Transport Authority's David Hynes said authorities arrested the man at Stirling Station.

"As soon as we found out, we started taking action. The train was going to stop at Glendalough anyway, it did. We saw that he got off and got on to the train, we arrested him at the next station," he told Seven News.

The man has been charged with trespassing.

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> Fatal bicycle accident at Greenwood train station

AN elderly man died after he was struck by a train after losing control of his motorised tricycle.

The Public Transport Authority says the man appeared to have accidentally fallen on to the tracks at Greenwood while riding along the platform just before 10am Friday.

The fatal accident caused major delays for commuters, with services on the Joondalup line between Stirling and Whitfords stations cancelled for several hours while police investigated.

Rachel Patchett, 33, was on her way to university in Joondalup with her three young children when she noticed her northbound train had stopped short of the platform.

She said soon after there was an announcement that there had been a medical emergency and everyone needed to stay in their carriages.

"We were on the train for about an hour before we could be evacuated off," Ms Patchett said.

"I did suspect someone had been hurt or killed by the train because it stopped short of the platform and there were also a lot of police and SES outside."

Ms Patchett said passengers on the train, which was about one-third full, were shocked and saddened to learn what had happened.

She said there was no indication the train had hit anything or anyone, such as a thud.

"I am really shocked and saddened," she said.

"I think it is a horrible thing to happen and I just want to give my condolences and best wishes to his family."

Ms Patchett said she and other passengers were eventually helped out of the carriages and down on to the track using ladders.

Greenwood train station was cordoned off for several hours as police and firefighters worked to clear the scene.

Acting Insp. Joe Watts said it was too early to say what had caused the man to lose control of his bike and fall but that it did not appear there were any suspicious circumstances.

"All I can tell you at this stage is that a person has come into contact with a train and as a result he has been fatally injured," he said.

"Our indications are that this is an accident. These situations are always terrible as you can imagine.

"This involves a train ... and I imagine there would be counselling services for those people around when this has occurred.

"It is understandably upsetting for anyone around."

Replacement buses were organised by the PTA to run between Stirling and Whitfords stations while the section of the Joondalup line remained closed.

Services continued to run between Perth and Stirling and Whitfords and Butler.

The line was reopened about 1.20pm.

The PTA says the accident has been reported to the Office of Rail Safety and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The PTA will carry out an investigation.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkMcGowanMP/status/918752159532924930

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/923235277451141120

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/westaustralian/status/923147640832802816

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/923593317647925248

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsPerth/status/923133620046372865

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/927213977096011776

[verbatim9]

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eskyscrapercity%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Fp%3D143350112&share_tid=512286&share_fid=68605&share_type=t&share_pid=143350112

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/934830397958918146

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/935542455008501760

[ozbob]

WA Today --> ' Cut freeway bus routes ' - report reveals Perth's bus network ' unsustainable '

Perth's public bus routes running parallel to freeway train services should be cut in an effort to stem Transperth's rising bus fleet costs amid reduced patronage, the Auditor General says.

The Planning and Management of Bus Services report, released on Wednesday, recommended the six bus routes that run along the Kwinana Freeway between Canning Bridge and Elizabeth Quay be reduced or cancelled - saving the Public Transport Authority $4 million a year.

However, the Public Transport Authority in response to the Auditor General's report, claimed reducing bus services would be an inconvenience for passengers having to change transport mode mid-journey and would also require significant investment in new bus facilities and road infrastructure.

Auditor General Colin Murphy's report found the rising costs and declining patronage of Perth's public bus services was "unsustainable" and that despite increased capacity, higher frequency services and coverage of new residential areas, fewer people were using buses than four years ago.

"Passenger numbers are falling even though the PTA has consistently met targets for bus accessibility, reliability, safety and customer satisfaction for the past four years," he said.

"Without the PTA reducing operating costs or increasing passenger numbers, the government subsidy will increase further."

The PTA believed the reduced patronage was due partly to factors out of its direct control such as fall in population growth, the slowing economy and cheaper fuel and parking prices.

In 2016-17, after bus revenue was discounted, the government subsidised 83 per cent of its bus service costs at a price of $410 million compared to $254 million in 2006-07.

The PTA estimated the subsidy would increase by $38 million between 2016-17 and 2019-20, if costs and patronage trends continued.

Among five recommendations provided in the report, the Auditor General suggested the PTA review its patronage data to improve efficiencies across its service routes and prioritise initiatives such as bus lanes in "a more timely manner".

The report noted most PTA plans to establish bus priority measures along roads within mass transit corridors were "aspirational and unfunded".

In response to the findings, the PTA commented it was "immensely proud" of the Transperth services it delivered in the unique operating model Perth required.

"Transperth's comparatively low-density operating environment brings with it the very difficult challenge of balancing its obligations to provide a reasonable level of service to the more vulnerable people in our community, who often have no alternative transport options, and making the most efficient use of our available resources," the response read.

"As with any business arrangement, the Auditor General has found some areas of improvement, like the need to improve some of our service planning processes and documentation arrangements, which we will attend to as a priority.

"Most importantly, PTA are most pleased to see that the Auditor General has confirmed that Transperth is meeting or exceeding targets for accessibility, reliability, safety and customer satisfaction, as these matters represent aspects of our business that we and our passengers believe are vitally important to making public transport more desirable."

The PTA 2016-17 annual report revealed patronage on Transperth services had dropped to its lowest levels in six years with five million less trips made in 2016-17.

Train rides were down four per cent while bus rides were down three per cent despite customer satisfaction being at an all time high.

[ozbob]

This is a good article ...

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/941770855457030144

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/BBRailway/status/942515848442363906

[Cazza]

^

"Professor Newman acknowledged there were pros and cons about building a railway line up the middle of a freeway.

But the creation of bus-train interchanges at most of the stations was now world best practice and still attracted the interest of transport planners around the world."

[ozbob]

The West Australian --> Joondalup and Mandurah train lines celebrate significant anniversaries

For nearly 200 years, major transport infrastructure projects have defined the shape of Perth.

And none more so, in recent times, than the Joondalup and Mandurah train lines.

Both lines celebrate significant anniversaries this week — the Joondalup line turns 25 on Wednesday and the Mandurah line is 10 years old on Saturday.

Each changed the face of Perth's public transport network at the time, and patronage on both lines has mostly defied the general downturn in recent years.

The Joondalup line still carries about 17 million passengers a year and the Mandurah line remains the city's busiest train route with more than 20 million annual travellers.

Work on the Joondalup line began in November 1989, with premier Peter Dowding driving in the first spike. It was opened three years later by premier Carmen Lawrence on December 20, 1992. It also prompted a realignment of the entire Transperth bus system, where the new train stations became bus interchanges.

After much public debate over its actual route, construction on the Mandurah line began in February 2004. The work included a tunnel under the city, the relocation of the Rockingham station and new Perth Underground and Esplanade stations.

The Mandurah line officially opened on December 23, 2007, with the first train carrying premier Alan Carpenter, transport and infrastructure minister Alannah MacTiernan and 1000 members of the public chosen by ballot.

For Ms MacTiernan, the opening brought to an end a controversy she said was akin to "four years of hand-to-hand combat".

"It was the political equivalent of the Somme," she said last week. "But we had a magnificent team at New Metro Rail and the enthusiasm of the punters in Mandurah and the southern suburbs kept us at it.

"Within the first few weeks, use of the Mandurah line was at 50,000 passengers — whereas the replacement bus system had carried only 16,000 per week.

"We had converted lots of commuters to public transport."

Transport expert Peter Newman said Perth was a better city because of the two train lines.

He said the success of the Joondalup line was the major reason the Mandurah line was built 15 years later.

"It unlocked Perth's appetite for rail and public transport in general," Professor Newman said. "It was much more popular than anyone imagined.

"With little promotion, carriages were soon full and overcrowded. New services had to be added. Patrons quickly realised it was quicker and more comfortable than cars — the word spread very quickly."

Professor Newman acknowledged there were pros and cons about building a railway line up the middle of a freeway.

But the creation of bus-train interchanges at most of the stations was now world best practice and still attracted the interest of transport planners around the world.

Public Transport Authority managing director Mark Burgess said the interchanges were an important part of the public transport system's integration of its train, bus and ferry services — an initiative that began about 40 years ago with the introduction of an integrated ticket.

"These interchanges were unique," he said. "It was a clever concept at the time and, after 25 years, is now a proven success.

"And the fact we were also able to build the lines essentially down the middle of the freeways also meant that we didn't have to build level crossings. And there are very little complaints about noise and vibrations."

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the two lines had transformed Perth and its suburbs.

"Its almost impossible to imagine the city without them," she said.

Ms Saffioti said some people had criticised the Mandurah line because "no one lives down there".

But the line showed the importance of public transport to Perth's growing suburbs.

[Stillwater]

Build it and they will come.  The Mayor of the Sunshine Coast, Cr Mark Jamieson, is focussed on the lifestyle opportunities and potential of the Hinterland Villages as good places to live, supported by good train and bus links.  For that reason, he says SCL duplication is a no-brainer.

At Perth, there was some concern about creating a 'linear city', same with Adelaide.  In both cases, this has to do with geography, but a rapid and frequent train, connected at stations with bus transfers, makes for a model that could be followed elsewhere.

Maybe now all the investment has gone into Gold Coast transport links (for the Commonwealth Games), the Sunshine Coast will have some dollars thrown its way.

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> New drivers fill stadium rail demand

SHIFTING tens of thousands of people to and from Optus Stadium needs more than just trains, buses and months of planning.

It needs people, too.

So, after six months of training and assessments, 15 new train drivers started on Perth's rail network this week.

And many of them will be driving patrons to Sunday's sold-out one-day cricket international between Australia and England — the stadium's first big sporting event.

Transperth spokesman David Hynes said more services meant more drivers were needed.

"In recent years we have had only one intake of drivers a year," he said. "With Optus Stadium coming online, we have increased this, and started two schools last year, with two this year.

"While we would regularly move about 13,000 Subiaco Oval attendees by train, up to 40,000 passengers are expected to take the train to Optus Stadium for a capacity event."

Mr Hynes said all drivers did an intensive six-month training course and three-day assessment before they were certified to drive a train.

Transperth has about 300 drivers on its network.

" .. Mr Hynes said all drivers did an intensive six-month training course and three-day assessment before they were certified to drive a train. ... "

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/956936300388532224

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/956937515377700866

[#Metro]

Sorry, time for a Royal Commission into #RailFail!

6 months?! How did Perth pull that one?

We really need an external operator - one that has a good track record and knows what they are doing.

TransPerth sounds like a good contender... provided that they are given incentives to come here (they will not come here for free).

Perth trains are of a model very similar to those used by QR.

[ozbob]

The B-series are essentially Queensland Rail SMU 260s.

A-series no Queensland Rail equivalent.


http://www.pta.wa.gov.au/our-system/our-fleet

A-series

The A-series was Perth's first electric passenger train. It was introduced when the system was electrified in 1992.

An A-series train consists of two connected carriages. The train can be coupled as two or four-car sets. There are 48 two-car A-series trains in the Transperth fleet.

The top speed of the A-series is 110kmh.

B-series

The B-series trains were first introduced into service in 2004.

A B-series train consists of three connected carriages which can be coupled as three or six-car sets.

Thirty-one three-car B-series trains were introduced to the Transperth fleet as part of the Mandurah Line expansion between 2004 and 2006 and 15 three-car B-series trains were introduced between 2009 and 2010. An additional 22 three car B-series trains will be introduced by the end of 2016, taking the total B-series fleet size to 68 three car trains.

The top speed of the B-series is 130kmh.

[SurfRail]

Apples and oranges here.  Perth, like QR, requires route knowledge.  Perth has fewer route km to cover.

[ozbob]

Apples and oranges here.  Perth, like QR, requires route knowledge.  Perth has fewer route km to cover.

Yes true, but no reason why QR shouldn't be able to achieve training in 9 months.

QR are looking at training only for certain routes intially ( complete other routes later ).  I understood this was something they were going to try to get enough drivers up for the GC2018 demands but appears to have been stymied as attrition has nearly wiped out the gains in new crew.

Perth also has ATP and is DOO.  Queensland Rail MUST accelerate their crew training.  We simply cannot afford to have mediocrity for next 5 to 10 years with present training outcomes and closed shop mentality.

[#Metro]

Is that true SurfRail? I always thought the high route km on the QR network was because the Gympie North line was included. If you only include up to say Caboolture, what does the comparison look like then??

[SurfRail]

Perth is still significantly shorter.

[ozbob]

Transperth is about 181 Km (2016-17 60.1 million passenger trips http://www.pta.wa.gov.au/annualreport2017)

QR Citytrain is about 689 Km (2016-17 51.2 million passenger trips https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/about%20us/Documents/QueenslandRail_AnnualFinancialReport_2016-17_LR.pdf)

Hence the moves to cut down initial routes for training.

I am uncertain if that happened. Might be able to find out this coming week.

[  Sydney Trains is about 815 Km

Melbourne trains 372 Km

Adelaide trains 126 Km ]

Queensland Rail network has much latent capacity. 

Patronage shows that Transperth (frequency with good bus/rail) is a true gold performer.  Embarrassing ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/958382980031893504

[JimmyP]

By memory, and I could be wrong, the report in to QR said training should be brought down to 9 months plus theory (3 months), giving a 12 month program, which they're pretty close to going by media reports.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/westaustralian/status/979939243345637376

The West Australian --> Perth public transport big winner in third 'Amazing Race' commute

The frequently derided Perth public transport system has proved the big winner in The Weekend West's third amazing race through the peak-hour streets of the metropolitan area.

First conducted in 2010, the race involved four competitors leaving from a designated location in four suburbs and using different modes of transport to travel to the city.

This year, the electric bicycle joined the race, taking on the car, public transport and the standard bike.

The competitors left about 7.45am from Noranda, Warwick, Murdoch and Cannington.

This year, the race was undertaken in conjunction with the Department of Transport and the "finishing line" was outside its office in William Street in the CBD.

The train won on three routes, including a comprehensive victory from Warwick where it was almost twice as fast as every other mode.

Warwick car driver Natalie Richards reported bumper-to-bumper traffic for most of the journey and "my speedo rarely went above 60km/h".

"The most disheartening thing was crawling along the freeway while trains and motorbikes zipped by, knowing there was nothing I could do about it," she said.

The only route where public transport lost was from Noranda, where our commuter had to change buses in Morley.

The electric bike proved faster than the standard bike on two routes, however, the e-biker experienced a mechanical fault on the Murdoch route.

On all routes, the car and bike had similar times, separated by just a few minutes.

Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said the results proved that public transport was one of the best options for Perth commuters.

"Our passengers — the people who actually use public transport in this city — think so too," he said. "For a number of years, Transperth's passenger satisfaction monitor has indicated nine in 10 of our passengers are either satisfied or very satisfied with our services.

"As the participants in the amazing race would have realised, catching public transport can often lead to time savings, but there are other benefits too.

"In the most recent Canstar City Trains survey, the independent satisfaction monitor not only found Perth passengers had the best service (for the fifth survey running) but those who commute to and from work using Transperth trains spend an average of $33 a week which, depending on their travel journey, is the lowest in the nation."

Mr Hynes also said that a 2015 Australasian Railway Association survey had found that Perth commuters could save $10,000 a year by using public transport.

"Transperth buses, trains and ferries are also the safest and best way for commuters to multi-task and use technology, read a book, catch up on work emails or a blog or watch a Netflix show while on the move," he said.

"That's not something that can be done while behind the wheel, so even if a journey on public transport takes more time, it's time that can be spent on leisure activities and relaxing, rather than the stress of battling peak-hour traffic.

"Public transport is also congestion-busting, taking drivers off busy roads and transporting them far more efficiently than private cars."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkMcGowanMP/status/996313308817801216

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1033741200061214720

[ozbob]

https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Using-Transperth/wi-fi
   
Transperth's free wi-fi trial begins

Effective: Monday 27 August 2018

From today, free wi-fi will be available on some services across the Transperth network as part of a Public Transport Authority (PTA) trial.

Free wi-fi will be available at Elizabeth Quay and Subiaco stations, and on two buses predominantly operating on the high-frequency Route 950.

Later this year, wi-fi will also be trialled on two trains on the Joondalup and Mandurah lines.

Free wi-fi zones will be marked with signage, so keep an eye out at these locations. All Transperth passengers in the free wi-fi zone are encouraged to use the service and provide feedback.

For more information on the Transperth wi-fi trial and to provide feedback, visit the Transperth website.

" Each passenger may be allocated a limit of 150MB per device in a 24 hour period. "

[ozbob]

WA Now --> Transperth bus, train passengers fall again as Perth commuters prefer cars

New figures show there were 139.8 million trips across Perth's train, bus and ferry network in 2017-18, down 0.7 per cent on the previous year.

It is the the third consecutive annual decline and means patronage is at its lowest levels since 2010-11.

Train boardings bucked the trend to rise a modest 0.7 per cent to 60.6 million journeys but remain well below the 64.2 million recorded at the tail end of the mining construction boom in 2014-15.

Bus numbers were 78.5 million compared to 80 million last year and 84.1 million in 2014-15.

Ferry numbers dipped from 748,000 last financial year to 706,000, although that was well above the 394,000 three years ago.

The first stage of the McGowan Government's Metronet plans — the centrepiece of Labor's 2017 election campaign — costs $4 billion and convincing commuters to swap their cars for SmartRiders is vital to its success.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the most recent figures illustrated the steep decline of recent years was beginning to plateau and that improvement in train boardings was encouraging.

"We want to try and continually drive those numbers up," Ms Saffioti said. "This is a long-term project to really make sure, particularly on our heritage lines, we get more people on to trains."

The opening of Optus Stadium, with its limited on-site parking, had exposed tens of thousands of people to public transport, potentially for the first time in decades.

"I have had feedback from people saying they haven't caught a bus in Perth for 10 years but they caught one to the stadium and it was incredible," Ms Saffioti said.

"I do think the stadium is introducing people back to public transport through necessity and the more they get used to catching buses and trains the more likely they are to use non-stadium services."

An Auditor-General's report released late last year recommended the implementation of more bus lanes and high-frequency routes, a strategy Ms Saffioti said was still under consideration.

"There are already some high-frequency buses that do very well in patronage, they really carry significant numbers," she said.

"Our continued planning is looking at where its best to place those high-frequency services so they link into the rest of the community."

Ms Saffioti said there were no plans to introduce toll roads or congestion charges.

"Our approach has never been about punishing anyone or restricting choices, it is about giving people choices," she said.

"Our real focus is improving the public transport package. You don't really want to penalise people unless you have invested in the alternatives.

"If families can do away with a car, not only does that have lifestyle benefits it is also great for cost savings too because cars are so expensive."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1036291743191261184

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/bikewalkperth/status/1036503850557956096

[ozbob]

The West Australian --> Perth train drivers in red signals incidents

Inattentive, tired and stressed drivers have been blamed for several incidents on Perth's rail network where trains dangerously overshot warning signals.

Figures obtained by The Weekend West for 2017-18 show that 15 drivers passed red warning signals when they were not authorised to do so. Five of the incidents happened at McIver station at the interchange for the Midland and Armadale lines.

One incident occurred at the new Perth stadium station during West Coast's first match at the venue.

Most of the drivers involved were put on a retraining program and had resumed their normal work.

One driver was referred to a sleep specialist, while another driver was provided with stress management assistance.

Despite the number of incidents — slightly fewer than 16 in 2016-17 — the Public Transport Authority said passengers were not at risk because WA was the only State with an automatic braking system on its trains.

Known as Automatic Train Protection, this system has been in place on the Transperth system since electrification of the rail system in the early 1990s.

"ATP works in conjunction with signals and registers when a train has passed a signal at danger and automatically applies the brakes of the train," PTA spokesman David Hynes said.

"ATP makes our rail system the safest in the nation.

"It should give passengers every confidence in travelling with us."

In Australia and many other countries incidents where train drivers run red lights are identified as part of the scheme Signal Passed At Danger.

The 15 incidents in WA last year were picked up by SPAD. They equate to 0.64 incidents per million kilometres of rail, compared with 2.1 incidents per million kilometres of rail recorded in Queensland last year.