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2000-2001 Annual Report About Our Annual Report

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2000-2001 Annual Report About Our Annual Report State Rail Authority of New South Wales 2000-2001 Annual Report About our Annual Report 1 Letter to the Minister 1 Our Charter 2 Statement of Purpose 2 Statement of Values 3 What we do 3 Our Structure This Annual Report for 2000-2001 aims to provide readers with a better 4 Chairman’s Report understanding of what State Rail does and the challenges we face. 8 Acting Chief Executive’s Report We have highlighted both our achievements and the areas we need to 12 State Rail Performance Indicators improve. In particular, we have acknowledged the hard work of our staff to deliver transport for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 14 Organisational Structure State Rail has produced 1,200 reports at a cost of approximately $42 each. 16 The Board This cost includes preparation of the report for posting on the Internet. 17 The Year in Review This report is available at State Rail’s website, www.staterail.nsw.gov.au. 17 01 Rail Safety 20 02 Preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 20 03 Service Quality 24 04 Financial Overview 25 05 Environmental Performance 26 06 Human Resources 27 07 Corporate Legal Services 27 08 Improving Access 28 09 Communications and Marketing 30 10 Strategic Projects 30 11 Information Technology and Telecommunications 30 12 Business Services 31 13 Delivering the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games Transport Task 35 Network Maps 37 Financial Statements 69 Appendices 100 Index Letter to the Minister Our Charter The Hon P C Scully, MP The State Rail Authority of New South Wales Minister for Transport is established by Part 2 of the Transport Minister for Roads Administration Act 1988 (NSW). Level 36, Governor Macquarie Tower Commencement of schedules 1 to 3 of the 1 Farrer Place Transport Administration Amendment (Rail SYDNEY NSW 2000 Management) Act 2000 effected changes to the Transport Administration Act 1988 and other Acts. Schedule 3 of the Transport Dear Minister Administration Amendment (Rail Management) Act amended the objectives of State Rail, and removed the previous provision that I have pleasure in submitting, for your information and presentation to Parliament, qualified the power of the Minister for the State Rail Authority of New South Wales’ Annual Report for the year ended Transport to give directions to State Rail, its 30 June 2001. Board and Chief Executive. The Authority is: • required, as its principal objective, to The report has been prepared in accordance with the Annual Reports (Statutory deliver safe and reliable railway passenger Bodies) Act 1984 and the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983. The NSW Audit services in an efficient, effective and Office has audited the financial statements of the Authority and the Auditor- financially responsible manner; and General’s Report is included. • in exercising its functions, required to act in the best interests of the NSW rail network as a whole. Yours sincerely Other objectives of State Rail, of equal importance but not as important as its principal objective, are: • to be a successful business and, to that end: P A Binsted i) to operate at least as efficiently as any Chairman comparable business, and ii) to maximise the net worth of the State’s investment in State Rail. • to exhibit a sense of social responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community in which it operates. • where its activities affect the environment, to conduct its operations in compliance with the principles of ecologically sustainable development. •to exhibit a sense of responsibility towards regional development and decentralisation in the way in which it operates. State Rail’s statutory functions include: • operating railway passenger services, subject to the requirements of the Rail Safety Act 1993, and •in connection with its railway services, operating other transport services, including bus services. 1 Statement of Purpose Statement of Values State Rail’s business is moving people. In order to achieve our vision, State Rail: • strives to be candid with staff and We aim to: the public in all our plans; • be a responsible, innovative and customer-oriented passenger • respects all staff for the value they rail organisation, and add to the organisation; • increase patronage, expand the passenger rail network and • pursues our goals by working reduce our net cost to the Government. together for a common purpose; More specifically, our strategic directions are to: • expects all managers and staff to be agreed on outcomes; Safety • expects decisions to be based • increase the safety of train operations; on facts, and • improve our Occupational Health and Safety performance; • expects all managers and staff to •improve customer perceptions of safety; act in an ethical and honest manner. • reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, and • reduce environmental risks. Work is underway on a new Statement of Purpose and a new Statement of Quality Values to better reflect State Rail’s new • provide consistent excellence in passenger services and facilities; corporate structure. • improve timetable reliability; • improve customer service, including information, signage, ticketing, Our Board Code of Conduct and staff presentation and accessibility. comment on our Staff Code of Conduct can be found in Appendices 2 and 3. Finance •maximise revenue through increased patronage, appropriate pricing and revenue protection; • apply technology to improve business efficiency; •improve discipline in our capital investments, and • reduce overhead costs and seek productivity improvements in all areas. People • improve internal communication; • articulate meaningful roles for staff; •increase individual capabilities, and • ensure and promote equal opportunity. 2 What we do Our Structure State Rail provides passenger rail Countrylink operates daily XPT To encourage management and staff transport through its CityRail and services between Sydney and of State Rail to work together with a Countrylink services. Brisbane, Murwillumbah, Grafton, common purpose and shared overall Dubbo and Melbourne, while objective, a structured plan was CityRail is the metropolitan daily Xplorer rail services operate developed to deliver changes under passenger provider and carried between Sydney and Canberra, the One State Rail banner. 302.6 million passenger journeys Armidale and Moree. across 306 stations in 2000-2001. Its It was recognised that the former network connects Sydney to regional Countrylink also operates 34 Travel State Rail structure had in some areas as far as Scone and Dungog Centres and eight other booking areas too many management layers in the north, Bathurst to the west, offices which sell and promote point- with the structure aligned to ‘brand Goulburn in the Southern Highlands to-point travel as well as Countrylink names’ which raised barriers when and Bomaderry on the South Coast. holiday packages, city and regional conducting business. Over 50% of all passengers travelling day tours and attractions. These A Delivery Plan was developed to to Sydney’s Central Business District outlets are supported by over 400 achieve a One State Rail culture in peak hours travel by CityRail. It is accredited travel agents and sales which emphasises the need to work one of the most complex passenger outlets throughout NSW, ACT, together. The Plan identified where rail operations in the world. Brisbane and Melbourne. improvements can be made and Countrylink operates long distance At 30 June 2001 the fleet comprised provides the platform for the passenger rail services across 1,514 electric rail cars and 144 implementation of best practice. New South Wales and beyond, diesel rail cars. In order to provide a consistent and carried 2.1 million passenger approach across the rail industry, journeys in 2000-2001. It operates the changes have been managed 162 rail services and 578 coach through the Office of the services per week. Many of these Coordinator General of Rail, as coach services are the only mode was the merger of the Rail Access of public transport from town to town Corporation and Rail Services in rural areas of New South Wales. Australia to form the new Rail Countrylink services are a direct Infrastructure Corporation (RIC). transport link to the capital cities of The first step in the implementation the ACT, Queensland and Victoria. of the One State Rail Delivery Plan involved realignment of the top management structure. This was announced on 24 January 2001. 3 Chairman’s Report 2000-2001 has been a year of re-building and re-strengthening the State Rail network. The NSW Government has invested over $1 billion on infrastructure and maintenance since December 2000. The investment in the network is The quality of the environment and most welcome and will go far to the future of our children depend assist us in continuing to improve on an efficient, clean, mass public the level of service we provide to transport system. In rural and CityRail and Countrylink passengers. regional areas, rail is essential to linking the population to the cities as In addition, major works have been well as for the movement of freight. undertaken to upgrade a number The relative funding, both public and of stations across the network. private, associated with road and rail The Premier’s mid-term address infrastructure must be assessed and gave State Rail the funding boost careful consideration given to the it needed to fast track the delivery total cost and total benefit of of the Turrella to Kingsgrove expenditure on each asset type. quadruplication on the East Hills Safety line. It further committed State A major focus of the State Rail Board Government funding for the delivery over the past year has been to of 60 additional carriages for the promote greater awareness of Sydney metropolitan area plus safeworking standards and initiatives a further 40 carriages for Intercity right across the organisation. services. The McInerney Inquiry highlighted The future development of the city the need for immediate improvement of Sydney in particular, and New in safety standards throughout NSW South Wales in general, is, in no rail agencies and much effort at small part, dependent on the State Rail has gone into improving ongoing commitment of funds to our performance in this area.
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