RailCorp

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

Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp) was an agency of the State of New South Wales, Australia, established in 2004 under the Transport Administration Act 1988. It was a division under the control of Transport for NSW, following the latter's establishment in 2011.<ref>Transport for NSW Annual Report 2016–17 page 237 Template:Webarchive, Transport for NSW, Retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> On 1 July 2020, RailCorp was converted into a state-owned corporation and renamed the Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE).<ref name="transport.nsw.gov.au">Transport for NSW Annual Report 2016–17 page 142,237 Template:Webarchive, Transport for NSW, Retrieved 18 January 2018</ref><ref name="classic.austlii.edu.au">Transport Administration Amendment (Transport Entities) Act 2017 No 12 Template:Webarchive, Australasian Legal Information Institute, Retrieved 16 January 2018</ref><ref name=tahe>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Until its conversion to TAHE, RailCorp held rail property assets, rolling stock and rail infrastructure in the Sydney metropolitan area and limited country locations in the state, and made those assets available to Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink for their operations. It also managed the NSW Government's contract with the Airport Link Company.<ref name=railcorp>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time of the establishment of TAHE, the acting chief executive of RailCorp was Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins.<ref name=ar2014>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=railcorp/>

Until 2013, RailCorp also operated passenger train services in New South Wales under the brand CityRail, and maintained rail infrastructure within the New South Wales Metropolitan Rail Area. From July 2013, operation and maintenance functions were transferred to the newly created Sydney Trains and NSW Trains agencies, which were also subsidiaries of RailCorp, leaving RailCorp as the legal owner of a portfolio of $28.6 billion of railway property, mostly within the metropolitan area. In July 2017, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains ceased to be subsidiaries of RailCorp and became standalone independent agencies.<ref name=report2018>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HistoryEdit

In January 2004, after much criticism, and public perceptions of blame-shifting between units of the State Rail Authority relating to operational failings, RailCorp was formed, taking over the passenger train operations of CityRail and CountryLink, and assuming responsibility for maintaining the greater metropolitan network from the Rail Infrastructure Corporation.<ref>Rail Corporation of New South Wales Template:Webarchive NSW Government State Records</ref><ref>Annual Report 30 June 2004 Template:Webarchive RailCorp</ref>

Initially governed by a Board of Directors as a state-owned corporation, changes to the Template:Cite Legislation AU resulted in RailCorp ceasing to be a state-owned corporation and becoming a NSW statutory authority on 1 January 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Further changes to the Template:Cite Legislation AU resulted in abolition of the Board effective 1 July 2010 and the repositioning of RailCorp as an agency of Transport NSW.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This was followed by further structural changes under the Transport Legislation Amendment Act 2011, which saw Transport NSW replaced by Transport for NSW, which was established as a controlled entity of the Department of Transport, with Rail Corporation New South Wales a controlled entity of Transport for NSW.<ref>Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 Template:Webarchive Parliament of New South Wales 13 September 2011</ref> RailCorp reports to the Minister for Transport.

RestructureEdit

In May 2012, the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp from July 2013 that would:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Corporate Plan 2012/13 Template:Webarchive RailCorp</ref><ref>700 jobs to go as RailCorp gets the axe Daily Telegraph 16 November 2012</ref>

establish Sydney Trains to operate services in the Sydney Metropolitan area bounded by Berowra, Richmond, Emu Plains, Macarthur and Waterfall
establish NSW TrainLink to operate all other passenger services including those of CountryLink
transfer capital projects and planning functions to Transport for NSW
establish Transport Cleaning Services, a specialist division responsible for train cleaning
establish a customer service division
reduce RailCorp's function to asset owner
offer voluntary redundancies to 750 management and support staff

The restructure resulted in Sydney Trains and NSW Trains, which were subsidiaries of RailCorp, operating railway passenger services in New South Wales under the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink brands. While being subsidiaries of Railcorp, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains were not controlled entities of RailCorp, but were instead controlled by Transport for NSW.<ref name=railcorp2014>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Due to the restructure, CityRail and CountryLink were also abolished. In July 2017, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains ceased to be subsidiaries of RailCorp and became standalone and independent agencies of Transport for NSW.<ref name=report2018/>

Transition into the Transport Asset Holding EntityEdit

RailCorp was converted into a state-owned corporation and renamed Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) on 1 July 2020.<ref name=tahe/><ref name="transport.nsw.gov.au"/><ref name="classic.austlii.edu.au"/> The new entity would continue to own assets on behalf of Transport for NSW. The Residual Transport Corporation (RTC), which was formed in July 2017, would then own assets not suitable for TAHE ownership.<ref name=report2018/>

Corruption investigationEdit

In 2007 and 2008, RailCorp was investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. In a series of seven reports released during 2008,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the ICAC reported that more than $21 million in improper contracts and deals through the procurement of services in just three years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2009, RailCorp terminated the contract of Vicki Coleman, its chief information officer, and it was claimed that she was at the centre of claims of dishonesty and corruption.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The ICAC recommended charges against 33 people; yet by April 2012, only eight people had faced the courts. Those that received custodial sentences included Allan Michael Blackstock (4½ years) and Renea Hughes (3½ years). Youssef (Joe) Madrajat was directed to undertake community service. Further charges are expected to be laid on others, and several are still waiting for the outcome of criminal proceedings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Emergency responseEdit

RailCorp maintained a statewide Emergency Response Unit. The function of this unit was to attend incidents, such as derailments. Formerly known as the State Rail Fire Service, the unit was based in Sydney and responded to emergency incidents involving the rail network including automatic fire alarms within the underground and nearby stations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The unit also undertook cross-training with Fire and Rescue NSW.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The unit was equipped with a number of vehicles including Mercedes and International pumpers and a specialist rapid rail response unit which was able to travel via the road and rail network for rescue operations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The unit's motto was Semper Paratus, translated from Latin to mean Always Ready.