Keolis is the first private transport operator to be awarded the contract for a multimodal network in Australia
On the 12th December 2016, the government of New South Wales, Australia’s most populated state, awarded Keolis Downer together with Transport for NSW , the contract for the multimodal public transport network in Newcastle. Situated north of Sydney, Newcastle is the state’s second largest city, with 360,000 inhabitants. This is the first multimodal transport contract in Australia to be tendered to a private company. The contract will generate a cumulative revenue of 450 million Australian dollars (around 312 million euros).
the number of inhabitants
in Newcastle
Developing the use of public transport
The contract will provide a new transport offer, integrating the operations and maintenance of buses and ferries for 10 years. From 2019 onwards, a new tramway will be in place to complete this offer. Keolis Downer, Keolis’ subsidiary in Australia and New Zealand, will use its proven experience in operating new networks to devise an integrated transport solution, offering an improved quality of service to locals and tourists alike. For the city of Newcastle and the government of New South Wales, the aim is to promote the use of public transport by improving connections across the state and making different areas in Newcastle more easily accessible.
Keolis strengthens its presence in Australia
With this new contract, Keolis Downer is strengthening its foothold in the Australian market. The Group is the country’s leading tram operator, managing the world’s largest tramway network in Melbourne (250km of tracks and 24 lines) as well as that of Gold Coast in Queensland. Keolis Downer is also one of Australia’s leading coach operators, particularly in Western and Southern regions, as well as in Queensland. In total, the subsidiary oversees more than 210 million journeys per year.
We take great pride in having been entrusted by the New South Wales government to manage Newcastle’s first multimodal transport contract. Together with Transport for New Wales, we are going to work to make Newcastle an even more attractive, pleasant place to live