Public Transport Commission

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox government agency

The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980.

Upon dissolution, responsibility for rail services transferred to the State Rail Authority and responsibility for bus and ferry services to the Urban Transit Authority.

The PTC, composed of five Commissioners appointed by the Governor of New South Wales, was accountable to the Minister for Transport.

Structure

File:8008 comeng.jpg
80 class locomotive in 1978

The PTC was established pursuant to the Template:Cite Legislation AU and led to the abolition of the offices of Commissioner for Railways and Commissioner for Public Transport.[1][2]

The Act facilitated the merger of the Department of Railways and the Department of Government Transport,[3] the latter being the agency that operated government bus services in Sydney and Newcastle. In December 1974, the Template:Cite Legislation AU dissolved the Sydney Harbour Transport Board and ferries were added to PTC's responsibility.[4] This coincided with government also taking over the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company ferries.[5]

In June 1980, the PTC was dissolved with the State Rail Authority assuming responsibility for rail services and the Urban Transit Authority responsibility for bus and ferry services through the enactment of the Template:Cite Legislation AU.[3][6][7]

Management

The Public Transport Commission consisted of five commissioners appointed by the Governor of New South Wales, two of whom were nominated by the Minister for Transport. Two of the Commissioners were full-time one of these was appointed by the Governor as Chief Commissioner. The Commission acquired the assets and liabilities of the former commissioners, were bound by current agreements or contracts, and were responsible for the completion of business commenced by them. The Commission inherited the functions of the previous Commissioners as prescribed in the Template:Cite Legislation AU and the Template:Cite Legislation AU.[3]

The first Chief Commissioner of the PTC was Philip Shirley, a former chairman of Cunard, who came out of retirement to take up the position. Shirley had been involved with the Beeching cuts being vice chairman of the British Railways Board in his native United Kingdom in the 1960s. His cost-cutting approach was criticised by sections of the public, trade unions and the parliamentary opposition. Shirley retired in 1975, two years before his commission was due to conclude. His successor, until the PTC was disbanded in 1980, was Alan Reiher. Upon the dissolution of the PTC, Reiher became chairman of VicRail.[8]

Chief Commissioners

# Commissioner Term Time in office Notes
1 Philip Shirley 20 October 1972 – 1 December 1975 Template:Ayd [9][10]
2 Alan Reiher 20 April 1976 – 19 March 1980 Template:Ayd [11][12][13]
Vacant to 30 June 1980, succeeded by CEO State Rail Authority and CEO Urban Transit Authority

Deputy Chief Commissioners

Commissioner Term Time in office Notes
Joshua Trimmer 12 December 1974 – 28 September 1979 Template:Ayd [14][11]
Jack Davies 28 September 1979 – 30 June 1980 Template:Ayd [15]

Commissioners

Full-time Commissioner Term Time in office Notes
Dr Robert Nielsen 20 October 1972 – 31 December 1973 Template:Ayd [9][16]
Joshua Trimmer 20 October 1972 – 12 December 1974 Template:Ayd [9]
Eric Archer 1 January 1974 – 15 January 1974 Template:Ayd [17][18]
Eugene Gordon 13 June 1974 – 30 June 1980 Template:Ayd [19][11]
Nominated Commissioner Term Time in office Notes
Barrie Unsworth 20 October 1972 – 19 October 1975 Template:Ayd [9]
Reginald Watson
Edington Byrne 20 October 1975 – 19 October 1979 Template:Ayd [20][21]
Ralph Marsh
David Hill 12 November 1979 – 30 June 1980 267 days [22][23]
Eric Lyndon 21 May 1980 – 30 June 1980 Template:Ayd [24]

Activities

File:Mixed Electric set on SHB RR CT 1977.jpg
A mixed-set electric suburban train in 1977, made up of S sets and Tulloch carriages in the blue and white livery

A mandarin blue and riviera white livery was introduced on buses, suburban electric trains and ferries while freight wagons were painted in a teal blue livery.[25][26][27][28] From November 1976, trains reverted to Tuscan red while ferries would revert to their Tuscan and green liveries in the 1980s.[29] In November 1979, a modified livery for locomotives was introduced with the colours on the Tuscan and yellow painted ends reverted.[30][31]

File:4491 in reverse livery broadmeadow loco 1990.jpg
44 class locomotive in the reverse yellow paint scheme

The original logo had the letters NSW with arrows pointing east and west. It was replaced in 1975 by the L7 logo.[32][33] It would continue to be used, albeit with different colours, on buses and ferries until 1989 and on trains until 2010.

In June 1974, the PTC took over the operation of Bowden's Bus Service route 79 from the Town Hall to Tamarama.[34] In September 1975, the PTC began operating Denning coaches out of Dubbo when the Far West Express was replaced.[35][36]

While best remembered as an era of cutbacks, investment was made during the tenure of the Public Transport Commission with the following ordered:

Publication

The PTC published an in-house journal, Transport News, with the first edition published in November 1972.[40]

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Rail management structures in New South Wales Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Single Authority Planned for Public Transport in NSW Railway Transportation March 1972 pages 3, 10
  2. ↑ One body to run public transport Truck & Bus Transportation March 1972 page 127
  3. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Sydney Harbour Transport Board NSW State Records
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Complete Re-organization of Public Transport in New South Wales Network July 1980 page 7
  7. ↑ Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 514 August 1980 page 57
  8. ↑ Railway History in Victoria 1950 - now Template:Webarchive Australian Railway Historical Society Victorian Division
  9. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Top NSW transport man quits Canberra Times 21 March 1980 page 7
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ New colour scheme for Sydney transport Network December 1972 page 2
  26. ↑ New Livery for Government-owned Transport Fleet Railway Transportation December 1972 page 10
  27. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ "20 Years Ago" Railway Digest November 1992 page 442
  29. ↑ Blue & White Suburban Cars Railway Digest May 1977 page 105
  30. ↑ New Colour Scheme for Locomotives Railway Digest February 1980 page 47
  31. ↑ The Yellow End Paint Scheme Railway Digest May 1984 pages 76-78
  32. ↑ PTC Logo Changes Railway Digest April 1975 page 6
  33. ↑ New symbol for PTC Network May 1975 page 4
  34. ↑ Private Route Goes Electric Traction July 1974 page 12
  35. ↑ Super Coaches for NSW Network September 1975 page 4
  36. ↑ Country rail branch lines now served by coaches Truck & Bus Transportation October 1975 page 130
  37. ↑ a b EMU Review Railway Digest March 1985
  38. ↑ Rostering Electric Interurban Trains Railway Digest January 1985
  39. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Transport News State Archives
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