Train passengers sick of overcrowding

Perth trains are overcrowding to breaking point. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: PerthNow

FOUR in five West Australians say overcrowding on Perth trains is their No.1 public transport headache.

The Joondalup and Mandurah rail lines are the worst, with up to 90 per cent of passengers rating overcrowding as the biggest failing of Perth trains.

Armadale and Thornlie have been deemed the most dangerous routes, with two-thirds of passengers fearing for their personal safety.

Overall, one in three bus, train and ferry users rate public transport as "poor" or "very poor", a landmark survey by the RAC shows.

Only one in five rate Perth's public transport as "excellent" or "very good"  a massive slide from 50 per cent who said it was excellent or very good five years ago.

The RAC did its last Public Transport Report in 2009 and the results  based on online surveys of more than 1400 public transport users  will be released today.

It found 84 per cent of respondents thought Perth's public transport had not improved in 18 months, while more than 80 per cent said overcrowding on trains was their No.1 public transport concern  a jump of almost 50 per cent on the last RAC survey.

Bus passengers rated the frequency of services and poor bus-train connections as their biggest public transport headache, while almost two-thirds of ferry passengers said services were too infrequent.

RAC head of advocacy Matt Brown said public transport users were angry and it was time the State Government listened. "Clearly more people are choosing public transport, which is putting a significant strain on existing infrastructure," he said.

Perth trains moved more than 63 million passengers last year, an 11 per cent increase since 2009. PTA figures show annual public transport patronage is on track to top 150 million journeys  equal to an extra 15,000 bus, train and ferry journeys every day compared with 12 months ago.

Mr Brown said WA needed more train carriages, a bus priority plan, more bus lanes and a smartphone app so commuters could track buses in real-time using existing on-board GPS data.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell said the RAC's opt-in survey produced "skewed results because it attracts predominantly respondents who want to air a concern" and, while it "highlighted some important matters", the State Government was already working to address them. He said the WA Government was spending $243 million on 66 new rail cars, $241 million on extending the Joondalup line to Butler, and putting in new stations, extra parking bays, light rail and more buses.

Mr Buswell said the PTA's owning polling  based on face-to-face interviews with about 4500 regular public transport users  showed "the great majority of respondents were happy with public transport in Perth".

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