198904 – Hoare – Electrification Project & Future Development of Urban Rail Transport in Perth

In Metropolitan Perth, passenger rail services operate on the three radial lines to Midland, Armadale and Fremantle. Patronage is roundly 35 000 passenger journeys per day of which about 25 000 pass through City Station. The passenger vehicles are diesel powered, mostly rail cars with some diesel locomotive hauled enpowered saloon carriages. The passenger accommodation standard varies from just adequate in the old carriages and rail cars to good in the recently acquired, air conditioned rail cars.

The rollingstock is in generally poor condition requiring a high level of maintenance. This year 75% of the rail car fleet will be life expired. Because of age of the fleet there are problems, particularly in summer, in maintaining a reliable level of service.

Stations are closely spaced in order to attract patronage and therefore achievement of transit times comparable with the private car is dependent on rapid vehicle acceleration. However, older rail cars are under-powered and leave passengers with the impression that a much longer transit time is imposed by rail travel that by other modes so failing to optimise travelling time advantages inherent in the exclusive right-of-way of a rail system.

Despite these constraints rail patronage has been increasing since 1984.