Public Transport Operations Centre unveiled as Rita Saffioti claims new tech will improve train network

A new round-the-clock control room monitoring WA’s expanding rail lines will “improve” responses to delays and incidents across the network, the Transport Minister says. The $85 million joint-funded operations centre will open this month as the State Government continues to expand its rail footprint with Metronet. The public transport operations control centre hosts a 100 square-metre screen which shows real-time updates on delays and the location of trains, across every line managed by the public transport authority. CCTV cameras across the train stations can also be monitored at the centre, while experts can be called in when technical issues arise. Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said the network currently recorded 10,000 train services per week, a growth of 3000 over the last four years. “When there are issues or some problems across the network, we’re able to have new forms of communication to all of our train operators and our transit guards across the network about what is happening,” she said on Sunday. “It is very much about making sure that we can constantly monitor the 87 stations across the network, more than 500 kilometres of rail across the network, and making sure we have the best centre in the country to deliver high-quality public transport services.” Ms Saffioti said the centre was a 50/50 funding split between the Commonwealth and the State Government. She added the already-delayed upgraded payment technology on WA trains, buses and ferries was set to be ready by the end of the year, allowing people to pay for transport using their smart watches, phones or credit cards. Ms Saffioti — who retained her Transport portfolio in the latest State Labor election win — previously targeted the release of that tech for mid-2024. She said a contractor had been appointed to upgrade “thousands of touch points” across the network. “Our target is to start the full trials by the middle of the year, and to roll it out by the end of the year. We’re working through that, and we hope to see that as soon as possible,” she said. “Sydney has it, but many other states don’t have it, so we’re very much still one of the lead states in the nation who will be rolling out this new technology.”