New South Wales Public Transport Commission

A Comeng set in blue and white PTC livery

The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was a state government agency responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia between 1972 and 1980.

History

The PTC was created in 1972 by the merger of the New South Wales Government Railways and the New South Wales Department of Government Transport (which operated government bus services).^[1] In 1974, ferries were added to its responsibility when the services of the private harbour ferry companies, particularly the assets of the former Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company, were assumed by the government.

The first Chief Commissioner of the PTC was Mr Phillip Shirley, a former chairman of Cunard Liners in the UK, who came out of retirement to take up the position. He was also involved with the infamous Beeching era in the UK. His ruthless cost-cutting approach led to heated criticism from the public and the State Opposition, to the point where Mr Shirley retired early from the post during 1975. His successor, until the PTC was disbanded in 1980, was Mr Alan Reiher. Mr Reiher recognised that the PTC faced many problems that defied short-term solutions, the most chronic being the lack of modern passenger rolling stock. Upon the break-up of the PTC, Mr Reiher became chairman of VicRail.

The PTC was broken up in 1980 into the State Rail Authority and Urban Transit Authority.

The Public Transport Commission instituted the blue and white livery on government buses and ferries, which survives on buses in a modified form to this day, and a short-lived blue and white livery on Sydney suburban trains. Many classes of modern bulk freight wagons were introduced during the PTC years, many of which carried a teal livery. The air-conditioned Gold Coast MotoRail service to Murwillumbah was introduced during the PTC era in 1973. The original 'NSW' two-arrow logo was too close to being a copy of British Rail's, and so the 'L7' logo was introduced in 1975, a modified version of which was used by CityRail up until it's official discontinuation as the logo, in favour of the NSW Government 'Waratah'. The logo still remains on all rollingstock in service, and has only been used on publicity material.

See also

• Railways in Sydney
• CityRail
• Sydney Buses
• Sydney Ferries

References

1. ^ Public Transport Commission, NSW State Records.

Preceded by New South Wales Government Railways

Railway Commissions in New South Wales 1972-1980

Succeeded by State Rail Authority of New South Wales