Urban rail transit forms a vital part of transportation in major Australian cities.
Definitions
The Commonwealth government Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics and industry peak body Australasian Railway Association, who jointly publish the Trainline statistical report categorise Australian passenger systems as "urban" or "non-urban". [1]
Urban networks are further classified as "light rail" or "heavy rail". Light rail in Australia includes established tram networks in Melbourne and Adelaide continuously operating in various forms since the late 20th century, as well as networks in other cities newly constructed after the cessation of tram operation. Heavy rail networks primarily describe passenger operations over parts of mixed-traffic rail systems centred on capital cities and also includes the Sydney Metro system, which operates on its own dedicated corridor.
Non-urban passenger networks are classified according to their passenger task. "Inter-city" or "regional" networks are defined to be those whose primary market "...include[s] daily commuting or day return business or leisure travel" to major cities and are therefore included in this article. Other markets, such as long-distance operations between cities and regional centres, tourist-focused and heritage services, are excluded from this list. [1]
Urban rail systems
Average daily patronage, where possible, is taken from the last calendar or financial year. System lengths are given in route kilometres. The largest, most extensive urban (as distinct from interurban) system is found in Melbourne, while the system with the highest patronage is found in Sydney. Patronage figures are for 2018–19 unless otherwise stated.
| City | System name | Other cities served | Type | Average daily patronage | Lines | Stations/ stops | Length | Patronage/km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Sydney Trains | Heavy rail | 1,033,150 [2] | 8 [3] | 170 | 369 km [4] | 2,799/km | |
| Sydney Metro | Rapid transit | 74,000 (2023) [5] | 1 | 13 | 36 km | 2,055/km | ||
| Sydney Light Rail | Light rail | 86,444 (2023) [6] | 3 | 42 | 24.7 km | 3,500/km | ||
| NSW TrainLink (commuter services) | Newcastle, Wollongong, Scone, Dungog, Goulburn, Bathurst, Nowra (Bomaderry) | Heavy rail | 112,300 [7] | 5 | 156 | 977 km | 114/km | |
| Newcastle | Newcastle Light Rail | Light rail | 3,400 (2019) [8] | 1 | 6 | 2.7 km | 1,259/km | |
| Melbourne | Metro Trains Melbourne | Heavy rail | 660,300 [9] | 17 | 219 | 405 km | 1,645/km | |
| Yarra Trams | Light rail | 493,292 (2023) [10] | 24 | 1,763 | 250 km | 1,973/km | ||
| V/Line (commuter services) | Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Seymour, Latrobe Valley | Heavy rail | 57,500 [11] | 5 | 66 | 610 km | 94/km | |
| Perth | Transperth | Mandurah | Heavy rail | 168,600 [12] | 6 | 75 | 187 km | 936/km |
| Brisbane | Queensland Rail Citytrain | Gold Coast, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast | Heavy rail | 150,000 [13] | 13 | 152 | 689 km | 206/km |
| Gold Coast | G:link | Light rail | 1 | 19 | 20 km | |||
| Adelaide | Adelaide Metro | Heavy rail | 42,880 [14] | 6 | 81 | 126 km | 340/km | |
| Glenelg trams | Light rail | 3 | 33 | 15 km | ||||
| Canberra | Canberra Light Rail | Light rail | 1 | 14 | 12 km |
See also
References
- ^ a b Trainline 7 (PDF). Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. December 2019. pp. 44, 52. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "Sydney Trains Annual Report 2018-19" (PDF). Transport NSW. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ Sydney Trains Network Map Transport NSW
- ^ Train Statistics 2014 Transport for NSW page 6
- ^ NSW, Transport for (4 December 2023). "Metro Patronage Monthly Comparison". Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Light rail: Sydney finally embraces CBD tram line as patronage surges". amp.smh.com.au. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Transport for New South Wales Train Patronage Monthly Figures". Bureau of Transport Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ "ONE YEAR OF THE NEWCASTLE LIGHT RAIL". NBN News. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "PTV Annual Report 2018–19" (PDF). Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ Planning, Department of Transport and. "Patronage". dtp.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Annual Report 2018-2019". V/Line. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Public Transport Authority Transport performance". Public Transport Authority. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
- ^ "Queensland Rail 2018–2019 Annual Financial Report" (PDF). Queensland Rail Limited. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure 2018–19 Annual Report" (PDF). Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. Retrieved 12 September 2019.