Keolis Downer awarded contract to operate and maintain Adelaide Metro train services
When: Friday 18 September 2020
Following a competitive tender process Keolis Downer Pty Ltd has signed on to operate the Adelaide Metropolitan Passenger Rail Network from the end of January 2021.
This new contract will improve services for all passengers, modernise the system and help to increase public transport patronage.
What does this mean for our customers?
This contract will start from the end of January 2021, however there will be no changes to any timetables at this time, with customers seeing a seamless transition.
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) will retain ownership of all assets (trains, tracks and stations), and continue to control fare prices, revenue and standards for service levels.
What improvements will customers see?
Over the initial eight years of the contract, the Department and Keolis Downer will partner to deliver better, safer and more frequent train services.
This will include:
- Faster and more services upon completion of the electrification of the Gawler rail line.
- More services per year on the new Flinders Line, compared to the Tonsley Line, when it opens in late 2020 offering weekend services for residents, students and workers in the southern suburbs.
- An extended trial of high security zones on platforms that includes CCTV, improved lighting and the installation of “help phones” to create a safer environment for travellers.
As part of the contract, Keolis Downer will implement a new customer experience strategy to enhance customer satisfaction.
The new system will also lead to the digitisation of work practices for Passenger Service Assistants meaning less time spent in the office doing paperwork and more time out with customers to get a better understanding of their needs.
Who are Keolis Downer?
From Melbourne to the Gold Coast and Newcastle, Keolis Downer is heavily focused on customer service and ensuring the journey for rail users is simple, easy and efficient.
Keolis Downer has an exceptional track record of running successful public transport systems across Australia and around the world.
They benefit from the rich capability of existing operations in Australia, and parent companies: heavy rail operation and maintenance experience of Keolis internationally in the UK, the US, Germany and the Netherlands, supported by the expertise of its majority shareholder SNCF (the national railway in France), and Downer’s expertise in rail infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance and asset management both locally in South Australia and nationally in Australia.
