New South Wales State Rail Authority
Encyclopedia
The State Rail Authority was the government authority responsible for the operation and maintenance of railways in the Australia
n state of New South Wales
between 1980 and 2003.
into the SRA, responsible for trains, and the Urban Transport Authority (UTA), responsible for buses and ferries. Upon formation of the SRA, a red, orange and white livery was progressively applied to all trains, developed by Phil Belbin
and known colloquially as the 'candy' livery. A red and orange 'L7' logo was adopted, which was a modification of the earlier black and blue PTC logo.
In 1988, the newly elected Greiner State Government
commissioned a report into the SRA by American consultants Booz Allen Hamilton
. The report, delivered in 1989 recommended widespread job losses, up to 8000, including the withdrawal of staff from 94 country railway stations, withdrawing services on the Nyngan- Bourke line
, Queanbeyan - Cooma line and Glen Innes- Wallangarra line
, the axing of several country passenger services (the Canberra XPT, the Silver City Comet to Broken Hill and various diesel locomotive hauled services) and the removal of sleeper trains from services to Brisbane
and Melbourne. The report also recommended the removal of all country passenger services and small freight operations, but the government did not consider this to be politically feasible. The SRA was divided into business units - CityRail
, responsible for suburban and Inter-urban railways; CountryLink
, responsible for country passenger services; FreightRail, responsible for freight services; and Rail Estate, responsible for rail property. Upon the formation of the business units in 1988, CityRail adopted a black and yellow 'L7' logo (later to become blue and yellow), and Countrylink adopted its present now old blue and white 'Mountains' logo and livery.
' (RIC), responsible for ownership and maintenance of the railways. In 2004, after much criticism and public perceptions of blame shifting between units for operational failings, the functions of the metropolitan sections of the RIC and the passenger train operations (the residual SRA) were effectively merged to form the Rail Corporation New South Wales
, with RailCorp assuming maintenance obligations in the urban areas and urban and country train operation, with the Rail Infrastructure Corporation responsible for country lines. Later in 2004, the RIC signed a 60 year lease with the Australian Rail Track Corporation
to maintain and operate the trunk interstate and Hunter Valley lines, and to manage train operations over the remainder of the country network.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
between 1980 and 2003.
History
The State Rail Authority (SRA) was established in 1980 after the separation of the Public Transport CommissionNew South Wales Public Transport Commission
The Public Transport Commission was a state government agency responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia between 1972 and 1980.-History:...
into the SRA, responsible for trains, and the Urban Transport Authority (UTA), responsible for buses and ferries. Upon formation of the SRA, a red, orange and white livery was progressively applied to all trains, developed by Phil Belbin
Phil Belbin
Phil Belbin was an Australian artist and cinematographer. He is best known for introducing the candy livery for the State Rail Authority of New South Wales in the 1980s and his steam train video series from his archival collection...
and known colloquially as the 'candy' livery. A red and orange 'L7' logo was adopted, which was a modification of the earlier black and blue PTC logo.
Booz Allen Hamilton review and restructure
Nick Greiner
Nicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
commissioned a report into the SRA by American consultants Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. , or more commonly Booz Allen, is an American public consulting firm headquartered in McLean, Fairfax County, Virginia, with 80 other offices throughout the United States. Ralph Shrader is its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The firm was founded by Edwin Booz in...
. The report, delivered in 1989 recommended widespread job losses, up to 8000, including the withdrawal of staff from 94 country railway stations, withdrawing services on the Nyngan- Bourke line
Main Western railway line, New South Wales
The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, Central West, North West Slopes and the Far West regions.- Description of route :...
, Queanbeyan - Cooma line and Glen Innes- Wallangarra line
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
, the axing of several country passenger services (the Canberra XPT, the Silver City Comet to Broken Hill and various diesel locomotive hauled services) and the removal of sleeper trains from services to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Melbourne. The report also recommended the removal of all country passenger services and small freight operations, but the government did not consider this to be politically feasible. The SRA was divided into business units - CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
, responsible for suburban and Inter-urban railways; CountryLink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
, responsible for country passenger services; FreightRail, responsible for freight services; and Rail Estate, responsible for rail property. Upon the formation of the business units in 1988, CityRail adopted a black and yellow 'L7' logo (later to become blue and yellow), and Countrylink adopted its present now old blue and white 'Mountains' logo and livery.
1996 restructure
In 1996, the SRA was again restructured under the Transport Administration Act, and a convoluted sequence of re-organisation occurred over the ensuing decade. Rail infrastructure was separated from rail operations in accordance with national competition policy, with freight services being corporatised into the 'Freight Rail Corporation' (Freight Rail, later FreightCorp) in preparation for eventual privatisation. The 'Railway Services Authority' (RSA) was established with responsibility for track maintenance and construction activities (much of which was contracted out to private companies), and the 'Rail Access Corporation' (RAC) was established with responsibility for managing the rail network and administering access by public and private operators. The residual SRA was left with the responsibility for the maintenance and operation of passenger trains, stations, the management of signal boxes and all train movements, and production of timetables.21st Century
In 2001 with the privatisation and sale of FreightCorp, the 'RSA' and the 'RAC' were merged into the 'Rail Infrastructure CorporationRail Infrastructure Corporation
The Rail Infrastructure Corporation is a New South Wales government owned corporation with responsibility for the management of the railway network in rural New South Wales, Australia....
' (RIC), responsible for ownership and maintenance of the railways. In 2004, after much criticism and public perceptions of blame shifting between units for operational failings, the functions of the metropolitan sections of the RIC and the passenger train operations (the residual SRA) were effectively merged to form the Rail Corporation New South Wales
Rail Corporation New South Wales
Rail Corporation New South Wales is a statutory authority of the New South Wales government. RailCorp owns, operates and maintains the Sydney suburban and interurban rail network which is marketed under the CityRail brand; in addition to operating rural passenger services under the CountryLink...
, with RailCorp assuming maintenance obligations in the urban areas and urban and country train operation, with the Rail Infrastructure Corporation responsible for country lines. Later in 2004, the RIC signed a 60 year lease with the Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Defined Interstate Rail Network .-History:The Interstate...
to maintain and operate the trunk interstate and Hunter Valley lines, and to manage train operations over the remainder of the country network.
See also
- Booz Allen HamiltonBooz Allen HamiltonBooz Allen Hamilton Inc. , or more commonly Booz Allen, is an American public consulting firm headquartered in McLean, Fairfax County, Virginia, with 80 other offices throughout the United States. Ralph Shrader is its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The firm was founded by Edwin Booz in...
- Railways in SydneyRailways in SydneySydney, the largest city in Australia, has an extensive network of passenger and freight railways. The passenger network is a hybrid metro-suburban railway with a central underground core running at metro style frequencies, which branches out into a suburban commuter type network...
- Rail transport in New South WalesRail transport in New South WalesThe Australian state of New South Wales has an extensive network of railways, which were integral to the growth and development of the state. The vast majority of railway lines were government built and operated, but there were also several private railways, some of which operate to this...
- Rail rollingstock in New South WalesRail rollingstock in New South WalesThe railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger and freight rollingstock.- Suburban Passenger Rollingstock :From the opening of the first railway line in Sydney in 1855, suburban steam hauled trains operated suburban services. By 1890, suburban steam hauled trains ran...