Public Transport

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:11): My question is directed to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Minister, can you update the house on a recent milestone in the state government's investment in public transport?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning, Minister Assisting the Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (15:11): This past week marks the 10^th anniversary of the first tranche of the new trams being delivered here to Adelaide. In November 2005, Flexity tram 101 was delivered from Outer Harbor and unloaded in Victoria Square. I am advised that Flexity 102 followed a few hours later and, after a period of commissioning and testing, both trams entered regular passenger service in January 2006. Progressive delivery of our 15 Flexity and six Citadis trams continued through to 2012, providing South Australians with an expanded modern fleet as part of the state government's record investment in public transport infrastructure.

The 15 Flexity trams quickly marked up one million kilometres of service running by 2008 as passengers flocked to use the new fleet. Members may be aware that, in addition, six Citadis 302 class trams were purchased by the state government from Madrid Transport, as European cities cancelled major transport projects during the global financial crisis. Globally, these tram models prove both popular and efficient, with over 1,000 Citadis trams operating in nine different countries and 700 Flexity trams operating across eight different countries.

Improvement of our public transport network has been a regular topic of discussion—on this side of the house, at least, the only side that brought a transport policy to the last election. Members would recall how controversial the extensions were, first, to the Adelaide Railway Station and then to the Entertainment Centre. They were vociferously not supported by the shadow minister for transport at the time (I believe, the member for Morphett) and I believe they have been described by the current member for Adelaide as being responsible for killing business, despite the rejuvenation of what we have seen down the West End of our city, particularly along North Terrace.

However, despite those knockers, they have been enormously popular with commuters. Our combined fleet of 21 trams is quickly nearing the five million kilometre milestone as the popularity and interest in tram networks grows nationwide, and I am particularly pleased that we have got reinvigorated interest at the federal level as well. This five million figure equates to approximately 166,000 return services from Glenelg through to the Entertainment Centre.

During the progressive arrival of the fleet, patronage grew by over 50 per cent along our tramline, a growth only steadied as passengers were provided with the option of electrified rail services on the Seaford corridor as well. Carrying over 2.6 million passengers in 2014-15, our tram fleet cannot operate without dedicated staff, both in operations and maintenance.

Operating from the Glengowrie depot, I would like to thank the departmental staff who work tirelessly to keep our network running at maximum capacity. Their outstanding work has seen the successful delivery of not only regular passenger services, but also efficient and high-frequency services during special events, particularly for events at Adelaide Oval. From the original cast of staff who accepted delivery of Flexity tram 101 in November 2005, I would particularly like to acknowledge:

Jude Lobow, one of DPTI's mechanical fitters who has worked with the department for over 30 years;

senior driver Rino Ripuano, with special experience in the delivery of these services, who has been with DPTI for 19 years; and

brothers Neil and Wayne Jones, who have both been with the department for 35 and 40 years, respectively.

There are many others who deserve our recognition—

Ms Cook: Terry Stephens.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: No, not Terry—who I cannot possibly name in the mere seconds I have left, but I would like the house to recognise their tireless efforts.