State Rail Authority

File:Dia_0228.jpg & 45 south of Kyogle in 1987]]

The Transport Authorities Act 1980 separated the functions of the Public Transport Commission (formerly responsible for all public transport) and established the State Rail Authority. The State Rail Authority assumed responsibility for trains, while the Urban Transit Authority responsibility for buses and ferries.{{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act||Transport Authorities Act 1980}}[http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=\Agency\540 State Rail Authority of New South Wales (I)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424002429/http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5CAgency%5C540 |date=24 April 2012 }} NSW Government State Records

In July 1982 a new colour scheme developed by Phil Belbin of red, yellow, orange and white was unveiled, which was commonly referred to as the "candy colours"."Genesis of the Candy Colours". Railway Digest August 1985 The L7 logo used by the Public Transport Commission was retained, albeit with the dark and light blue replaced with red and orange. Around this time, they also gave playing cards and soap to passengers.{{cn|date=November 2022}}

During its tenure the State Rail Authority completed a number of electrification projects:

• Gosford – Wyong April 1982[http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=61760 Railway Sign Official Opening Gosford – Wyong Electrification 3 April 1982] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327234850/http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=61760 |date=27 March 2014 }} Powerhouse Museum Collection
• Wyong – Newcastle June 1984"The Official Opening of Newcastle Rail Electrification" Railway Digest July 1984
• Waterfall – Port Kembla February 1986"Wollongong Electrification Open at Last" Railway Digest March 1986
• Riverstone – Richmond August 1991"Electric trains reach Richmond" Railway Digest September 1991
• Coniston – Dapto January 1993"Dapto electrics spark timetable changes" Railway Digest February 1993

The State Rail Authority introduced new 80 Class, 81 Class and 86 Class locomotives used on both freight and country passenger services, K set, C set, Tangara, Millennium and V set double deck electric passenger trains and the XPT. It also placed an order for the 82 Class and 90 Class locomotives that were delivered to FreightRail in 1994. A fleet of Denning and Scania coaches was purchased to replace withdrawn country rail services."State Rail Coach Services – The Vehicles" Australian Bus Panorama 9/3 October 1993

File:44218 7317 broadmeadow loco roundhouse 1990.jpg in FreightCorp livery alongside 7317 in the candy livery at Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot circa 1990]]

Following the election of the Greiner State Government in March 1988, consultants Booz Allen Hamilton were commissioned to prepare a report into NSW rail services. In November 1988, before the report was complete, the North Coast Overnight Express to Grafton, the Northern Mail to Moree and Tenterfield, the Bathurst day train, the Western Mail to Dubbo and the Canberra Monaro Express to Cooma all ceased."End of the Passengers but Not the Politics" Railway Digest December 1989

After receiving the Booz Allen Hamilton report, the government released its response in July 1989 under the title CountryLink 2000. It was announced the number of staff employed on country rail operations would fall from 18,000 to 10,000, including the withdrawal of staff from 94 country railway stations and the Nyngan – Bourke, Queanbeyan – Cooma and Glen Innes – Wallangarra lines would close.

Several country passenger services ceased over the next few years including the Silver City Comet, Northern Tablelands Express, Canberra XPT, Brisbane Limited, Pacific Coast Motorail, South Coast Daylight Express, Intercapital Daylight and Sydney/Melbourne Express. These were replaced either by XPT sets, EMU/DMU sets or coaches. Coach services which had been operated by the State Rail Authority's own fleet were contracted out to private operators. The report had recommended closing all country passenger services as they were judged unviable, however this was not politically acceptable."CountryLink 2000" Railway Digest August 1989Moore, M Lagan, B. SRA takes axe to 8000 jobs Sydney Morning Herald 14 July 1989

The State Rail Authority was divided into business units:

• CityRail: responsible for suburban and interurban passenger services
• CountryLink: responsible for country passenger services
• FreightRail: responsible for freight services
• Rail Estate: responsible for rail property

CityRail adopted a blue and yellow colour scheme including L7 logo, CountryLink a blue, white and grey scheme and FreightRail a blue and yellow scheme.

On 1 July 1996, the State Rail Authority was restructured into four distinct entities by the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Corporatisation and Restructuring) Act 1996[http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/sessionalview/sessional/act/1996-56.pdf Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Corporatisation and Restructuring) Act 1996] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101223028/http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/sessionalview/sessional/act/1996-56.pdf |date=1 January 2015 }} New South Wales Parliament 1996[http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=\Agency\2599 State Rail Authority of New South Wales (II)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423234949/http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5CAgency%5C2599 |date=23 April 2012 }} NSW Government State Records to separate infrastructure from operations as required by the Competition Policy Reform Act 1995.[http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2004A04938 Competition Policy Reform Act 1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904183220/http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2004A04938 |date=4 September 2012 }} Australian Parliament 20 July 1995"State Rail Restructure Announced" ''Railway Digest" May 1996 page 7[http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0018/747/StateRail_Annual_Report_1996-1997.pdf Annual Report 30 June 1997] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325012656/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0018/747/StateRail_Annual_Report_1996-1997.pdf |date=25 March 2013 }} State Rail Authority This was part of the process of moving to an open access regime.

The entities were:

• Freight Rail Corporation: responsible for freight services
• Rail Access Corporation: responsible for managing track and providing access to public and private operators
• Railway Services Authority: responsible for track and rolling stock maintenance
• State Rail Authority: passenger service operator consisting of CityRail and CountryLink

Another restructure in February 1998 saw the State Rail Authority split into four operating divisions:[http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0019/748/StateRail_Annual_Report_1997-1998.pdf Annual Report 30 June 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325021412/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0019/748/StateRail_Annual_Report_1997-1998.pdf |date=25 March 2013 }} State Rail Authority

• CityRail Stations
• CountryLink
• Operations
• Passenger Fleet Maintenance

In January 2001, the Rail Access Corporation and Railway Services Authority were merged into the Rail Infrastructure Corporation that took responsibility for ownership and maintenance of the infrastructure.[http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=\Agency\2151 Rail Infrastructure Corporation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423232933/http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5CAgency%5C2151 |date=23 April 2012 }} NSW Government State Records[http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0017/773/RIC_Annual_Report_2000-2001.pdf Annual Report 30 June 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325013519/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0017/773/RIC_Annual_Report_2000-2001.pdf |date=25 March 2013 }} Rail Infrastructure Corporation

In January 2004, after much criticism and public perceptions of blame shifting between units for operational failings, RailCorp was formed taking over the passenger train operations from the residual State Rail Authority (CityRail and CountryLink) and responsibility for maintaining the greater metropolitan network from the Rail Infrastructure Corporation.[http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=\Agency\3840 Rail Corporation of New South Wales] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429110313/http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5CAgency%5C3840 |date=29 April 2013 }} NSW Government State Records[http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0015/1329/RailCorp_Annual_Report-2003-2004.pdf Annual Report 30 June 2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325055249/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0015/1329/RailCorp_Annual_Report-2003-2004.pdf |date=25 March 2013 }} RailCorp

By June 2006 much of the operational function had been transferred, with the State Rail Authority in the process of being wound down.[http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/3874/StateRail_Annual_Report_2005-2006.pdf Annual Report 30 June 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325041459/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/3874/StateRail_Annual_Report_2005-2006.pdf |date=25 March 2013 }} State Rail Authority

From September 1981 until June 1989, State Wide was the SRA's inhouse journal.[https://records-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/search?sortby=rank&vid=61SRA&lang=en_US&offset=0&query=any,contains,NRS-15577&mfacet=rtype,include,SERIES,1 "State Wide" Rail Staff Newsletter] Western Sydney Records Centre

• RailCorp

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==External links==

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{{Rail management structures in New South Wales|state=collapsed}}

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Category:Defunct railway companies of Australia

Railway

Category:Australian companies disestablished in 2003

Category:Railway companies disestablished in 2003

Category:Australian companies established in 1980

Category:Railway companies established in 1980