Almost six months after opening, there is confusion over the usage of Perth's new $1.8 billion airport train line amid complaints about a lack of signage at Perth Airport.
The latest government figures show a daily average of almost 12,000 passengers using the High Wycombe-to-airport link since it opened in October last year.
In public statements, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti had at times claimed the Airport Line specifically would carry 20,000 passengers a day, but other times claimed it would rather attract 20,000 passengers across the Transperth network.
But a government spokesperson said the minister made a "human error", maintaining the correct measurement was an extra 20,000 commuters on the Transperth system each day as a whole.
The incorrect figure was also cited in a press conference, at least four media statements and in local media reports across a span of seven years.
It was a claim repeated by WA Premier Mark McGowan at the announcement of the official opening date in August last year.
"We expect 20,000 people a day will catch this rail line growing to 29,000 by the end of the decade," the premier told journalists.
Other public documents and press releases, however, cited the Airport Line was expected to generate 20,000 passenger trips "on the network", including other rail lines.
"An error was made in a small number of statements and articles which incorrectly stated the modelling on patronage was for the airport line alone," the PTA has since said in a statement.
"This was human error, and we apologise for any confusion caused," a spokesperson said.
No isolated modelling on Airport Line
The PTA spokesperson also said there was "no modelling or forecasts for the Airport Line in isolation".
However, a document published by the PTA in 2014 gives a station-by-station breakdown of the expected passenger numbers.
The document — the Forrestfield Airport Link Project Definition Plan — was compiled during the Barnett Government era, which began work on the line prior to being voted out of office in 2017.
Station |
Daily trips generated |
|---|---|
Airport West (Redcliffe) |
4,100 |
Consolidated Airport (Airport Central) |
6,100 |
Forrestfield (High Wycombe) |
9,800 |
TOTAL |
20,000 |
As recently as May last year, Opposition Leader Shane Love asked to see the completed passenger modelling in parliament.
Ms Saffioti said those figures likely existed in the Project Definition Plan, but accused the Liberal and National parties of refusing to release them.
So, how many people have caught the train?
According to the PTA, there was an increase of 33,049 average daily boardings on Transperth trains in the week up to February 10 compared to an average week between August 15 and September 9 last year, before the airport line opened.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Premier Mark McGowan denied the government had overestimated how many people would use the train line, pointing to the miscommunication in the numbers.
"Over time, it'll grow on that (33,000) figure," he said.
The revised statement explains the new rail line was supposed to bring in 20,000 extra daily passenger trips across "the rail network" — which includes all train services across Perth — within the first year of opening.
PTA figures also show a longer-term decline in average daily passengers across the entire Transperth rail network.
In 2018-2019, there was an average of 168,601 boardings per day.
That number fell to 136,258 in 2019-2020, 117,803 in 2020-2021 and 117,204 in 2021-2022.
Meanwhile, the number of people flying in and out of Perth Airport itself only last month recovered to levels counted just before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.
PTA spokesman David Hynes said it was too early to tell how well the new rail line was being used.
"It's likely to take 12 to 18 months to properly assess the full impact on patronage, as the community acclimatises to the new services," he said.
"Changes in patronage numbers can be influenced by a number of factors, and attributing increases to any one factor would require significant and detailed analysis."
But Curtin University sustainability professor Peter Newman said the airport link was difficult for people to access and wasn't "supported by Perth Airport who don't want to lose car parking patrons".
"There are no signs helping you get from the Domestic Terminal to Redcliffe Station," Mr Newman said.
Perth Airport refuted that, saying it worked with the state government on the airport line during its delivery, giving up a significant amount of land, and built a "sky-bridge" which "provides clear orientation and creates a seamless connection for passengers arriving or leaving the airport by rail".
"The suggestion that Perth Airport is attempting to undermine the effectiveness of the rail link is completely unfounded," a spokesperson said.
Is WA public transport still struggling post-COVID?
The Perth Airport rail line includes three stations, in the suburbs of Redcliffe, High Wycombe and one in Airport Central, part of the WA government's $10 billion Metronet project.
In the past, the government had encouraged people to take public transport through initiatives including the $500,000 public awareness advertising campaign in 2017 and a $1.25 million campaign aimed at attracting more people to public transport.
In addition to the advertising campaign, the state government also developed a new Transperth app and has planned an upgrade of the SmartRider system to enable debit cards.
But passenger numbers have been declining each year since 2014 and especially post-COVID.
Perth commuters say there are a number of obstacles they need to navigate to catch a train.
Last year FIFO workers spoke to ABC about early train times not being available for those catching early flights.
UWA Business School transport expert Doina Olaru said WA public transport was actually very successful, providing access to those who could not afford other means of transport.
However, she said people were not enticed enough to use it on a day-to-day basis.
"Too often, people seem to hear about reducing congestion and 'doing the right thing for the environment' … while this is correct, many would respond to the messages more positively if they were aware of the level of accessibility, comfort, and costs," she said.
"The love affair of Australians with their cars is well documented, but this does not mean that the mindset can be changed if the public has the opportunity to experience the high-quality public transport offered in our city."
On the other hand, Professor Newman said the reason for car dependency in WA was due to it being more convenient and reliable compared to public transport.
"We have built our city around the car and the options of taking a faster trip by public transport are only available for a small percentage of our city," he said.
"Most people have no real choice as they would take an hour or so longer for their travel time."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to provide clarity about the modelling and the expectations the government set on how many passengers were to use the line.
