TR2014 05 Rail Usage Documentation

Rail Journeys and Ticket Issues Data

May 2014 Release DATABASE DOCUMENTATION Last updated: 01.05.2014

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Rail Journeys and Ticket Issues

Disclaimer While all care is taken in producing this work, no responsibility is taken or warranty made with respect to the accuracy of any information, data or representation. The authors (including copyright owners) expressly disclaim all liability in respect of anything done or omitted to be done and the consequences upon reliance of the contents of this information.

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Rail Journeys and Ticket Issues Introduction The Rail Journeys and Tickets Issues Dataset provides estimates of passenger journeys and ticket issues by station and line, ticket and fare type across what was previously referred to as the CityRail network, now Sydney Trains and the Intercity Network component of NSW Trainlink. A full list of variables is on page 7. This document describes the data contained in this dataset and how it was derived, in particular the patronage estimation method, specific notes to aid understanding and interpretation of the data and a list of the variables in the dataset. The dataset contains estimates of passenger journeys and counts of tickets issued by station, rail line, ticket type, fare type, month and year (calendar and financial year). The data is updated quarterly on the BTS website. Passenger Journeys is the official measure of patronage and the basis of patronage trend reporting. Patronage change is generally reported for one calendar year or one financial year over another, or as a 12 month rolling average. This data is most useful for understanding monthly and annual trends by line. For a number of reasons, explained in the following four pages, the data is less reliable as an indicator of patronage at the individual station level. A number of factors should be taken into consideration when interpreting patronage change. These include external factors as well as changes to the rail system itself. In general, travel patterns fluctuate across the year. They are influenced by the weather, school and university vacation times and general holiday periods. Even the timing of Easter and the number of weekends in a month, can have an impact on patronage over the same month in the previous year. Rail system factors can include changes to the ticketing system, the building of new stations or lines or service operations.

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Patronage Estimation Methodology Rail patronage is an estimate of the number of trips or journeys taken on the rail network in a given period. The smallest period calculated is a calendar month. Rail patronage is made up of two components

1. Paid journeys 2. Unpaid journeys

Paid Journeys Paid journeys are derived from ticket sales data from the following sources:

NSW and Sydney Trains - Train stations & on-line sales STA Origin - STA buses & kiosks

- newsagents & convenience stores Sydney Ferries - Wharves & on board sales Private Buses - Pensioner Excursion (PET) only

Each ticket type sold is assigned a journey multiplier which, when combined with the number of ticket issues, produces an estimate of the number of rail journeys taken. e.g. a single rail ticket equals 1 rail journey a return rail ticket equals 2 rail journeys a weekly ticket equals 11 rail journeys The journey multipliers are derived from travel surveys and are dependent on the point of sale. For example a MyMulti ticket sold from a train station will have a different journey multiplier to the same product sold at a convenience store or by Sydney Ferries. An average multiplier is produced for each ticket type across the entire network. There is no weighting for different types of journeys for example longer trips. Rail only products are surveyed on trains and platforms. Multi modal tickets such as the MyMulti and PET are surveyed at the point of purchase. Because of the difficulty arising from the high number of State Transit Authority outlets and private buses, on-line or telephone surveys are used to sample the travel patterns of these ticket purchases. For longer term tickets (monthly, quarterly, yearly) allowances are made for annual leave and public holidays.

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Unpaid Journeys Unpaid journeys are based on the number of free travel passes on issue combined with estimated usage rates. The usage rates of free travel passes are derived from analysis of automatic gate data, surveys and manual barrier count information. The fare evasion component of unpaid travel is derived from the annual fare evasion survey typically conducted in October/November. Examples of unpaid travel include:

Free school/TAFE Fare evasion Employees including Gold Passes Ex servicemen Blind and persons with disabilities Police, judges and politicians

Unpaid journeys are calculated annually and amortised to the calendar month based on the number of working days, the timing of school and public holidays as well as general seasonality. To enable the timely reporting of monthly patronage estimates, unpaid journey estimates are applied to the following calendar year in arrears. The rail patronage calculation method differs from that of Sydney Buses, which relies on ticket validations or dips, and Harbour City Ferries, which uses automatic gate data and surveys to estimate patronage. Following the full roll out of the OPAL electronic ticketing system, the current patronage calculation methods will be replaced by a common tag on/tag off methodology. Enhancement of rail patronage measurement In December 2011, TfNSW and RailCorp undertook a major review of the methodology for measuring rail patronage following the introduction of the new MyZone ticket system in April 2010. The result is a new set of improved patronage figures which maintain historical trends and are more consistent with other rail data such as station barrier counts. Online surveys were conducted to improve the precision of journey multipliers and the estimation of PET usage. The measurement of individual components of unpaid travel was also enhanced. Information about these improvements can be found at the following link: http://www.bts.nsw.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/136/is2011-10-patronage-info-sheet.pdf.aspx

http://www.bts.nsw.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/136/is2011-10-patronage-info-sheet.pdf.aspxhttp://www.bts.nsw.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/136/is2011-10-patronage-info-sheet.pdf.aspx

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Notes about the data 1. Negative/zero issues and journeys There are instances where negative ticket issues are reported. This happens when wholesale sellers of tickets return unsold stock and the returned stock exceeds the number of sales. A prime example is in April 2010 which coincides with the introduction of MyZone ticketing. Resellers returned unsold TravelPass Weekly tickets over a number of months but all returned tickets were assigned to April 2010, resulting in a negative number of journeys for that month. For some longer term ticket types discontinued after the introduction of MyZone ticketing (e.g. TravelPass Weekly, Quarterly and Yearly) there are instances of monthly data where there are zero ticket issues that still have journeys attributed in the same month. This is due to journeys being attributed to tickets of this type which were sold in earlier months before being discontinued. 2. The Epping to Chatswood Rail Link The Epping to Chatswood Rail Link (ECRL) commenced on 23 February 2009, with the opening of 3 new stations; North Ryde, Macquarie University and Macquarie Park. Patronage for these stations was first reported in June 2009. This rail link made it possible for services from northern Sydney to the City to be redirected via the Harbour Bridge. A new line Northern via Macquarie Park was created which now includes Beecroft, Cheltenham, Normanhurst, Pennant Hills and Thornleigh, which previously allocated to the Northern via Strathfield line. For consistency, the historical patronage data for these stations has also been allocated to Northern via Macquarie Park. 3. Station sorting The STATION_SORT_ID can be used to sort stations by their geographic order within the rail network. Patronage not assigned to a station has STATION_SORT_ID = 9999 and sorts last on the list. 4. MyZone tickets As the MyMulti and MyTrain product range of tickets was introduced in 2010, counts of issues/journeys prior to this date are zero, with the exception of:

- MyMulti Day Pass which corresponds to the Day Tripper ticket - MyTrain Weekly which corresponds to the old weekly train tickets.

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Before the introduction of MyMulti products in 2010, monthly, quarterly, yearly and other types of periodical rail tickets were classified under rail periodicals. Although travel passes were replaced by my MyMulti products in 2010, a small number are still used in the Newcastle area. 5. Other ticket types Tickets that permit variable days of travel and can combine other travel modes with a rail fare are typically classified as Other. For example Link tickets, such as the Showlink ticket specifically sold for the Sydney Royal Easter Show (at Olympic Park) can allow for bus; rail, ferry and/or light rail travel. Other such tickets include:

- ATTR - Authority to Travel Receipt - CityHopper, BusPlus and SydneyPass

6. Patronage attributed to sales from bus and ferry operators Tickets purchased from bus and ferry operators that permit travel on multiple modes of transport have rail journeys attributed to them. These journeys appear in the data as having Station values of Private Bus, STA and Sydney Ferries and a Line value of Other. 7. Attribution of ticket to rail line Tickets are attributed to the issuing station and the line that the station is allocated to, regardless of the origin and destination station the ticket is valid for. This means that if a person who lives in Campsie and works in the City buys their weekly ticket at Town Hall one afternoon, the ticket issue and journey are attributed to the CBD line. If the ticket had been bought at Campsie, it would have been allocated to the Bankstown line. For this reason, station level patronage cannot be considered a perfectly reliable reflection of where the ticket was actually used. See Appendix II for a list of stations by line.

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APPENDIX I: Rail Journeys and Ticket issues Dataset Description Data set name Rail Journeys and Ticket issues Scope The data relates to stations on the former CityRail Network which now covers Sydney Trains and the Intercity Network component of NSW Trainlink. Frequency Monthly Reference period July 2000 most recent Data producer Transport for NSW Unit(s) of measurement Issues and Journeys (by ticket type aggregated to month) Key Variables/Indicators

LINE_CODE LINE STATION_NO STATION TICKET_TYPE_CODE TICKET_TYPE FARE_TYPE_CODE FARE_TYPE MONTH_YEAR MONTH CALENDAR_YEAR FINANCIAL_YEAR ISSUES JOURNEYS STATION_SORT_ID

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Data Item List Variable Description Permitted Values Type LINE_CODE Line code From 1 to 23 Integer LINE Major rail line

name Airport Bankstown Blue Mountains Carlingford CBD Central Coast East Hills Eastern Suburbs Hunter Illawarra Inner West Newcastle North Shore Northern via Macquarie Park Northern via Strathfield Olympic Park Other South South Coast Southern Highlands Western

Varchar

STATION_NO Station number e.g. 17, 19, 20, etc Integer STATION Station name

Adamstown Albion Park Allawah Arncliffe Artarmon Ashfield Asquith Auburn Austinmer Awaba Banksia Bankstown Bardwell Park Bargo Bathurst Beecroft Bell Bellambi Belmore Berala Beresfield

Varchar

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type Berowra Berry Beverly Hills Bexley North Birrong Blackheath Blacktown Blaxland Bomaderry (Nowra) Bombo Bondi Junction Booragul Bowral Broadmeadow Bullaburra Bulli Bundanoon Burwood Cabramatta Camellia Campbelltown Campsie Canley Vale Canterbury Cardiff Caringbah Carlingford Carlton Carramar Casula Central Chatswood Cheltenham Chester Hill Circular Quay Civic Clarendon Clyde Coalcliff Cockle Creek Coledale Como Concord West Coniston Corrimal Cowan

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type Cringila Cronulla Croydon Dapto Denistone Domestic Airport Doonside Dora Creek Dulwich Hill Dundas Dungog Dunmore (Shellharbour) East Hills East Maitland East Richmond Eastwood Edgecliff Emu Plains Engadine Epping Erskineville Fairfield Fairy Meadow Fassifern Faulconbridge Flemington Gerringong Glenbrook Glenfield Gordon Gosford Goulburn Granville Green Square Guildford Gymea Hamilton Harris Park Hawkesbury River Hazelbrook Heathcote Helensburgh Hexham Holsworthy Homebush Hornsby

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type Hurlstone Park Hurstville Ingleburn International Airport Jannali Katoomba Kiama Killara Kings Cross Kingsgrove Kingswood Kirrawee Kogarah Koolewong Kotara Lakemba Lapstone Lawson Leightonfield Leumeah Leura Lewisham Lidcombe Linden Lindfield Lisarow Lithgow Liverpool Loftus Lysaghts Macarthur Macdonaldtown Macquarie Fields Macquarie Park Macquarie University Maitland Marayong Marrickville Martin Place Mascot Meadowbank Medlow Bath Merrylands Metford Milsons Point Minnamurra

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type Minto Miranda Mittagong Morisset Mortdale Moss Vale Mount Colah Mount Druitt Mount Kuring-gai Mount Victoria Mulgrave Museum Muswellbrook Narara Narwee Newcastle Newtown Niagara Park Normanhurst North Ryde North Strathfield North Sydney North Wollongong Oak Flats Oatley Olympic Park Otford Other Ourimbah Padstow Panania Parramatta Pendle Hill Pennant Hills Penrith Penshurst Petersham Picton Point Clare Port Kembla Port Kembla North Private Bus Punchbowl Pymble Quakers Hill Redfern

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type Regents Park Revesby Rhodes Richmond Riverstone Riverwood Rockdale Rooty Hill Rosehill Roseville Rydalmere Sandgate Scarborough Schofields Sefton Seven Hills Singleton Springwood St James St Leonards St Marys St Peters STA Stanmore Stanwell Park Strathfield Summer Hill Sutherland Sydenham Sydney Ferries Tahmoor Tarro Tascott Telarah Telopea Tempe Teralba Thirroul Thornleigh Thornton Toongabbie Town Hall Towradgi Tuggerah Turramurra Turrella

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type Unanderra Valley Heights Victoria Street Villawood Wahroonga Waitara Warabrook (University) Waratah Warnervale Warrawee Warrimoo Warwick Farm Waterfall Waverton Wentworth Falls Wentworthville Werrington West Ryde Westmead Wickham Wiley Park Windsor Wolli Creek Wollongong Wollstonecraft Wombarra Woodford Woolooware Woonona Woy Woy Wyee Wynyard Wyong Yagoona Yennora Yerrinbool

TICKET_TYPE_CODE Ticket type code e.g. 1001, 1005, 1010 etc Integer TICKET_TYPE Type of ticket Single

Return Off-Peak Return MyTrain Weekly MyTrain Monthly MyTrain Quarterly MyTrain Yearly MyMulti Weekly MyMulti Monthly

Varchar

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Variable Description Permitted Values Type MyMulti Quarterly MyMulti Yearly MyMulti Day Pass Rail Periodical TravelPass Weekly TravelPass Quarterly TravelPass Yearly Pensioner Excursion Other Unpaid

FARE_TYPE_CODE Fare type code 5001 5005 5010 5015

Integer

FARE_TYPE Fare type Adult Concession Pensioner Unpaid

Varchar

MONTH_YEAR Month and Year Month-Year e.g. Oct-11 represents the October 2011.

Date

MONTH Month From Jan to Dec Varchar CALENDAR_YEAR Year YYYY e.g. 2000 Integer FINANCIAL_YEAR Financial year YYYY-YY e.g. 2000-01 Varchar ISSUES Number of ticket

sales Numeric value. Integer

JOURNEYS No. of journeys attributed to the issues

Numeric value. See Appendix II below regarding calculations.

Integer

STATION_SORT_ID A network order code for both LINE and STATION

101 CBD Line (1) Central Station (01) to

2027 Hunter Line (20) Muswellbrook Station (27) 9999 Other

Integer

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Appendix II: Stations sorted by Line Station Line Attributed To Domestic Airport Airport Green Square Airport International Airport Airport Mascot Airport Bankstown Bankstown Belmore Bankstown Berala Bankstown Birrong Bankstown Campsie Bankstown Canterbury Bankstown Carramar Bankstown Chester Hill Bankstown Dulwich Hill Bankstown Erskineville Bankstown Hurlstone Park Bankstown Lakemba Bankstown Leightonfield Bankstown Marrickville Bankstown Punchbowl Bankstown Regents Park Bankstown Sefton Bankstown St Peters Bankstown Villawood Bankstown Wiley Park Bankstown Yagoona Bankstown Bathurst Blue Mountains Bell Blue Mountains Blackheath Blue Mountains Blaxland Blue Mountains Bullaburra Blue Mountains Faulconbridge Blue Mountains Glenbrook Blue Mountains Hazelbrook Blue Mountains Katoomba Blue Mountains Lapstone Blue Mountains Lawson Blue Mountains Leura Blue Mountains Linden Blue Mountains Lithgow Blue Mountains Medlow Bath Blue Mountains Mount Victoria Blue Mountains

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Station Line Attributed To Springwood Blue Mountains Valley Heights Blue Mountains Warrimoo Blue Mountains Wentworth Falls Blue Mountains Woodford Blue Mountains Camellia Carlingford Carlingford Carlingford Dundas Carlingford Rosehill Carlingford Rydalmere Carlingford Telopea Carlingford Central CBD Circular Quay CBD Martin Place CBD Museum CBD Redfern CBD St James CBD Town Hall CBD Wynyard CBD Cowan Central Coast Gosford Central Coast Hawkesbury River Central Coast Koolewong Central Coast Lisarow Central Coast Narara Central Coast Niagara Park Central Coast Ourimbah Central Coast Point Clare Central Coast Tascott Central Coast Tuggerah Central Coast Woy Woy Central Coast Wyong Central Coast Bardwell Park East Hills Beverly Hills East Hills Bexley North East Hills Campbelltown East Hills East Hills East Hills Glenfield East Hills Holsworthy East Hills Ingleburn East Hills Kingsgrove East Hills Leumeah East Hills Macarthur East Hills

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Station Line Attributed To Macquarie Fields East Hills Minto East Hills Narwee East Hills Padstow East Hills Panania East Hills Revesby East Hills Riverwood East Hills Turrella East Hills Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Edgecliff Eastern Suburbs Kings Cross Eastern Suburbs Beresfield Hunter Dungog Hunter East Maitland Hunter Hexham Hunter Maitland Hunter Metford Hunter Muswellbrook Hunter Sandgate Hunter Singleton Hunter Tarro Hunter Telarah Hunter Thornton Hunter Victoria Street Hunter Warabrook (University) Hunter Waratah Hunter Allawah Illawarra Arncliffe Illawarra Banksia Illawarra Caringbah Illawarra Carlton Illawarra Como Illawarra Cronulla Illawarra Engadine Illawarra Gymea Illawarra Heathcote Illawarra Hurstville Illawarra Jannali Illawarra Kirrawee Illawarra Kogarah Illawarra Loftus Illawarra Miranda Illawarra Mortdale Illawarra

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Station Line Attributed To Oatley Illawarra Penshurst Illawarra Rockdale Illawarra Sutherland Illawarra Sydenham Illawarra Tempe Illawarra Waterfall Illawarra Wolli Creek Illawarra Woolooware Illawarra Ashfield Inner West Burwood Inner West Croydon Inner West Homebush Inner West Lewisham Inner West Macdonaldtown Inner West Newtown Inner West Petersham Inner West Stanmore Inner West Strathfield Inner West Summer Hill Inner West Adamstown Newcastle Awaba Newcastle Booragul Newcastle Broadmeadow Newcastle Cardiff Newcastle Civic Newcastle Cockle Creek Newcastle Dora Creek Newcastle Fassifern Newcastle Hamilton Newcastle Kotara Newcastle Morisset Newcastle Newcastle Newcastle Teralba Newcastle Warnervale Newcastle Wickham Newcastle Wyee Newcastle Artarmon North Shore Asquith North Shore Berowra North Shore Chatswood North Shore Gordon North Shore Hornsby North Shore

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Station Line Attributed To Killara North Shore Lindfield North Shore Milsons Point North Shore Mount Colah North Shore Mount Kuring-gai North Shore North Sydney North Shore Pymble North Shore Roseville North Shore St Leonards North Shore Turramurra North Shore Wahroonga North Shore Waitara North Shore Warrawee North Shore Waverton North Shore Wollstonecraft North Shore Beecroft Northern via Macquarie Park Cheltenham Northern via Macquarie Park Macquarie Park Northern via Macquarie Park Macquarie University Northern via Macquarie Park Normanhurst Northern via Macquarie Park North Ryde Northern via Macquarie Park Pennant Hills Northern via Macquarie Park Thornleigh Northern via Macquarie Park Concord West Northern via Strathfield Denistone Northern via Strathfield Eastwood Northern via Strathfield Epping Northern via Strathfield Meadowbank Northern via Strathfield North Strathfield Northern via Strathfield Rhodes Northern via Strathfield West Ryde Northern via Strathfield Olympic Park Olympic Park Other Other Private Bus Other STA Other Sydney Ferries Other Cabramatta South Canley Vale South Casula South Fairfield South Flemington South Guildford South Lidcombe South

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Station Line Attributed To Liverpool South Merrylands South Warwick Farm South Yennora South Albion Park South Coast Austinmer South Coast Bellambi South Coast Berry South Coast Bomaderry (Nowra) South Coast Bombo South Coast Bulli South Coast Coalcliff South Coast Coledale South Coast Coniston South Coast Corrimal South Coast Cringila South Coast Dapto South Coast Dunmore (Shellharbour) South Coast Fairy Meadow South Coast Gerringong South Coast Helensburgh South Coast Kiama South Coast Lysaghts South Coast Minnamurra South Coast North Wollongong South Coast Oak Flats South Coast Otford South Coast Port Kembla South Coast Port Kembla North South Coast Scarborough South Coast Stanwell Park South Coast Thirroul South Coast Towradgi South Coast Unanderra South Coast Wollongong South Coast Wombarra South Coast Woonona South Coast Bargo Southern Highlands Bowral Southern Highlands Bundanoon Southern Highlands Goulburn Southern Highlands Mittagong Southern Highlands Moss Vale Southern Highlands

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Station Line Attributed To Picton Southern Highlands Tahmoor Southern Highlands Yerrinbool Southern Highlands Auburn Western Blacktown Western Clarendon Western Clyde Western Doonside Western East Richmond Western Emu Plains Western Granville Western Harris Park Western Kingswood Western Marayong Western Mount Druitt Western Mulgrave Western Parramatta Western Pendle Hill Western Penrith Western Quakers Hill Western Richmond Western Riverstone Western Rooty Hill Western Schofields Western Seven Hills Western St Marys Western Toongabbie Western Wentworthville Western Werrington Western Westmead Western Windsor Western

Rail Journeys & Ticket Issues Documentation - Public Release - 2014.pdfRail Journeys and Ticket IssuesIntroductionPatronage Estimation MethodologyPaid JourneysUnpaid JourneysEnhancement of rail patronage measurement

Notes about the data1. Negative/zero issues and journeys2. The Epping to Chatswood Rail Link7. Attribution of ticket to rail lineData set nameScopeFrequencyReference periodData producerUnit(s) of measurementKey Variables/Indicators

Data Item List