AUSTRALIND PASSENGER SERVICE
352. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the expectation of new
railcars for the Australind passenger service.
(1) Can the
minister provide a firm date for when the new railcars for the Australind
passenger service will be delivered?
(2) Can the
minister provide a firm date for when the new railcars for the Australind
passenger service will be operational?
(3) Does the minister anticipate higher levels of
punctuality and reliability for the Australind passenger service
upon the new railcars being operational?
(4) If yes to
(3), what specific service level guarantees is the minister willing to make for
the Australind passenger service?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
The
Australind train was introduced in 1987 and was originally planned to
have an operational life of up to 30 years. This means a new Australind
train should have been servicing Bunbury by 2017 at the latest; however, this
did not occur. It remains unclear why the former government did not fund or
plan for the replacement of the Australind despite knowing it would reach
the end of its useful life by 2017.
(1)–(2) New Australind railcars are anticipated to
be delivered in 2023 and it is expected to be operational upon delivery.
(3)–(4) It is anticipated that the new Australind
will achieve the Public Transport Authority's on-time running key
performance indicator.