Rail Passenger Transport in Australia - Industry Market Research Report

All aboard: Government support is bringing both providers and passengers along for the ride

The Rail Passenger Transport industry has maintained steady revenue growth over the past few years. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, road congestion, higher parking costs and rising awareness of environmental issues elevated demand for rail transport. Higher employment in CBDs and population growth have boosted revenue over the long term. COVID-19 lockdown measures dampened demand for the industry, which decreased passenger numbers. However, the pandemic had only a limited effect on revenue due to the industry's strong government subsidisation. Government subsidies account for the majority of industry revenue, which has offset the effect of lowered demand. Passenger rail operators can't recover the full maintenance and investment costs involved in providing their services through ticket sales, as passengers are unlikely to pay substantially higher fares. Revenue is expected to climb at an annualised 2.4% to $13.8 billion over the five years through 2023-24. This trend includes a drop of 1.7% in the current year, since the increased popularity of remote working arrangements' has limited profitability.

Companies in the industry operate railways that transport passengers, including passenger services for commuter rail and metropolitan rail, and monorail operations. The industry excludes tramways, rail terminal operations and tourist rail passenger services.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.