Transwa upgrades to provide more opportunity

  • McGowan Government to bring ontrain passenger assistants in-house from early 2021
  • Transwa rail and coach services to received onboard entertainment system upgrade
  • Transwa on-time running screens installed at Kalgoorlie Station to show arrival and departure of Prospector as well as being updated online
  • Report to look into feasibility of installing wi-fi on Transwa trains
  • Transport Minister Rita Saffioti visited Kalgoorlie Train Station today to meet staff and announce some exciting upgrades to the Transwa service.

    From early 2021, the McGowan Government will be bringing ontrain passenger assistants back in-house to work directly for Transwa.

    The staff are currently employed by a contractor and will transition back into Transwa employment from February 2021.

    While at Kalgoorlie Station the Minister viewed the new arrival and departure board, that provides real-time updates on the Prospector running time. The running time information is also available on the Transwa website.

    The entertainment system onboard some Transwa services will also undergo an upgrade. 

    The Prospector, which operates a daily service each way between Kalgoorlie and Perth, already has personalised on-demand entertainment systems and has recently changed content providers to give passengers a greater selection of movie content.

    Transport communications specialist ENGIE/Icomera is now installing BYO device hardware on the 23-vehicle road coach fleet so passengers can watch content on their phones, tablets or computers, with the plan being to look at rolling out the same feature to the Transwa train fleet in the future.

    As part of its brief, ENGIE/Icomera will also provide a report on the feasibility of installing wi-fi on the Prospector as well as the AvonLink (to Northam), MerredinLink and Australind (Bunbury-to-Perth) trains.

    As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:

    “Safe and reliable public transport to and through regional Western Australia is vital in keeping people and communities connected, and Transwa does a great job.

    “I am pleased that from February 2021, we are bringing onboard passenger assistants back in-house to work under the Transwa banner.

    “The McGowan Government is fully committed to getting the best possible outcomes for our regions, and that includes the amenity of the trains and road coaches available.

    “High-quality onboard entertainment is a big part of that, and I am pleased that we are able to capitalise on advances in modern technology to make further improvements in what is already an excellent service.”

    As stated by Mining and Pastoral MLC Kyle McGinn:

    “I’m very happy to see this delivered as it has been raised with me on many occasions by frequent travellers on the Prospector service.

    “We continue to make improvements to State-owned infrastructure to ensure people have a safe and comfortable option for travel when the train is the best option for them.

    “The on-time screens at Kalgoorlie Station will be of huge benefit to those picking up someone at the station, to ensure less time wasted waiting for a text message through some dodgy reception patches.”

    /Public Release. View in full here.