View source for RailCorp

{{Short description|Former New South Wales government agency}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox government agency
|agency_name     = Rail Corporation New South Wales
|type            = 
|logo            = Railcorp.svg
|logo_width      = 200px
|logo_caption    = 
|formed          = 1 January 2004
|dissolved       = 30 June 2020
|preceding1      = [[State Rail Authority]]
|preceding2      = [[Rail Infrastructure Corporation]]
|superseding     = [[NSW TrainLink]]<br>[[Sydney Trains]]<br>[[Transport for NSW]]<br>[[Transport Asset Holding Entity]]
|jurisdiction    = [[New South Wales]]
|headquarters    = [[Sydney]]
|employees       =
|budget          = 
|minister1_pfo   = [[Minister for Transport (New South Wales)|Minister for Transport]]
|chief1_name     = Howard Collins
|chief1_position = Acting Chief Executive
|agency_type     = 
|parent_agency   = [[Transport for NSW]]
|keydocument1    = {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act|taa1988305|Transport Administration Act, 1988}}
|keydocument2    = {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|num_act|rsa2008n97154|Rail Safety Act, 2008}}
|keydocument3    = {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act|pta1990248|Passenger Transport Act, 1990}}
|keydocument4    = {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act|soca1989288|State Owned Corporations Act, 1989}}
|website         = [https://web.archive.org/web/20200318121219/https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/railcorp www.transport.nsw.gov.au/railcorp]}}

'''Rail Corporation New South Wales''' (RailCorp) was an [[statutory authority|agency]] of the [[Government of New South Wales]], Australia, established in 2004 pursuant to the ''Transport Administration Act 1988''. It was a division under the control of [[Transport for NSW]], following the latter's establishment in 2011. On 20 June 2020, RailCorp was disbanded with its functions taken over by [[Transport Asset Holding Entity]].

RailCorp held rail property assets, rolling stock and rail infrastructure in the Sydney metropolitan area and limited country locations in the state, and made those assets available to [[Sydney Trains]] and [[NSW TrainLink]] for their operations. It also managed the government's contract with the [[Airport Link Company]].

Until 2013, RailCorp also operated passenger train services in [[New South Wales]] under the brand [[CityRail]], and maintained rail infrastructure within the [[New South Wales Metropolitan Rail Area]]. From July 2013, operation and maintenance functions were transferred to the newly created [[Sydney Trains]] and [[NSW TrainLink]] agencies, which were also subsidiaries of RailCorp, leaving RailCorp as an asset owner. In July 2017, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains ceased to be subsidiaries of RailCorp and became standalone independent agencies.

==History==
In January 2004, after much criticism, and public perceptions of blame-shifting between units of the [[State Rail Authority]] relating to operational failings, RailCorp was formed, taking over the passenger train operations of [[CityRail]] and [[CountryLink]], and assuming responsibility for maintaining the greater metropolitan network from the [[Rail Infrastructure Corporation]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130429110313/http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5CAgency%5C3840 Rail Corporation of New South Wales] NSW Government State Records</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130325055249/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0015/1329/RailCorp_Annual_Report-2003-2004.pdf Annual Report 30 June 2004] RailCorp</ref> It was established as a non dividend paying statutory corporation.<ref>NSW reorganises the railways - again ''[[Railway Digest]]'' January 2004 page 8</ref><ref>RailCorp ''[[Railway Gazette International]]'' February 2004 page 63</ref>

Initially governed by a Board of Directors as a state-owned corporation, changes to the {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act||Transport Administration Act, 1988}} resulted in RailCorp ceasing to be a state-owned corporation and becoming a NSW [[statutory authority]] on 1 January 2009.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021203110721/https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2008/98/ Transport Administration Amendment (Rail and Ferry Transport Authorities) Act 2008 No 98] NSW Legislation</ref><ref>RailCorp to become statutory authority ''Railway Digest'' November 2008 page 15</ref><ref>RailCorp - All out, all change? ''Railway Digest'' December 2008 pages 5/6</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110217183924/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/7875/RailCorp_Annual_Report_2008-2009.pdf Annual Report 30 June 2009] RailCorp</ref> Further changes to the {{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|act||Transport Administration Act, 1988}} resulted in abolition of the Board effective 1 July 2010 and the repositioning of RailCorp as an agency of [[Transport NSW]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110217183713/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/9179/RailCorp_Annual_Report_2009-2010.pdf Annual Report 30 June 2010] RailCorp</ref> This was followed by further structural changes under the Transport Legislation Amendment Act 2011, which saw Transport NSW replaced by [[Transport for NSW]], which was established as a controlled entity of the Department of Transport, with Rail Corporation New South Wales a controlled entity of Transport for NSW.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193913/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/nswbills.nsf/0/D0814F07F6268D32CA2578F500245FF7 Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2011] [[Parliament of New South Wales]] 13 September 2011</ref> RailCorp reported to the [[Minister for Transport (New South Wales)|Minister for Transport]].

===Restructure===
In May 2012, the [[Minister for Transport (New South Wales)|Minister for Transport]] announced a restructure of RailCorp from July 2013 that would:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140227163802/http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/railcorp-job-cuts-first-of-many-unions-20120515-1yo93.html#ixzz1uwKcuUpH RailCorp job cuts first of many: unions] ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' 15 May 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/ruthless-railcorp-reforms-planned-as-middle-management-axed/story-fnb5f12x-1226355250747 Ruthless RailCorp reforms planned as middle management axed] ''[[Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|Daily Telegraph]]'' 15 May 2012</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130325052252/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/7021/RailCorp_Corporate_Plan.pdf Corporate Plan 2012/13] RailCorp</ref><ref>[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/jobs-to-go-as-railcorp-gets-the-axe/story-e6freuy9-1226517985059 700 jobs to go as RailCorp gets the axe] ''Daily Telegraph'' 16 November 2012</ref>
 
*establish [[Sydney Trains]] to operate services in the Sydney Metropolitan area bounded by [[Berowra railway station|Berowra]], [[Richmond railway station, Sydney|Richmond]], [[Emu Plains railway station|Emu Plains]], [[Macarthur railway station|Macarthur]] and [[Waterfall railway station, Sydney|Waterfall]]
*establish [[NSW TrainLink]] to operate all other passenger services including those of [[CountryLink]]  
*transfer capital projects and planning functions to [[Transport for NSW]]
*establish Transport Cleaning Services, a specialist division responsible for train cleaning
*establish a customer service division
*reduce RailCorp's function to asset owner
*offer voluntary redundancies to 750 management and support staff

The restructure resulted in [[Sydney Trains]] and [[NSW TrainLink]], which were subsidiaries of RailCorp, operating railway passenger services in New South Wales under the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink brands. While being subsidiaries of Railcorp, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains were not controlled entities of RailCorp, but were instead controlled by [[Transport for NSW]].<ref name=railcorp2014>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180913074031/https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2017/railcorp-annual-report-2013-14.pdf Railcorp Annual Report 2013–14] page 15 Transport for NSW</ref> [[CityRail]] and [[CountryLink]] were also abolished. In July 2017, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains ceased to be subsidiaries of RailCorp and became standalone and independent agencies of [[Transport for NSW]].<ref name=AR2018>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210709010418/https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2018/TfNSW-Annual-Report-2017%E2%80%9318-Volume-1.pdf Transport for NSW Annual Report 2017–18 page 49] [[Transport for NSW]]</ref>

===Cessation=== 
RailCorp was disbanded and succeeded by the [[Transport Asset Holding Entity]] (TAHE) on 1 July 2020.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200701001204/https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are/transport-asset-holding-entity-of-new-south-wales Transport Asset Holding Entity of New South Wales] Transport for NSW</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210722043838/https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2017/tfnsw-annual-report-2016-17.pdf Annual Report 2016–17 page 142, 237] Transport for NSW</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135557/http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/taaea2017n12637.pdf Transport Administration Amendment (Transport Entities) Act 2017 No 12] Australasian Legal Information Institute</ref> The new entity continued to own assets on behalf of Transport for NSW. The Residual Transport Corporation (RTC), which was formed in July 2017, would then own assets not suitable for TAHE ownership.<ref name=AR2018/>

==Corruption investigation==
In 2007 and 2008, RailCorp was investigated by the [[Independent Commission Against Corruption (New South Wales)|Independent Commission Against Corruption]] (ICAC). In a series of seven reports released during 2008,ICAC reported that more than $21 million in improper contracts and deals through the procurement of services in just three years.<ref>]https://web.archive.org/web/20120321164508/http://www.railcorp.info/commercial/contracts__and__procurement/individuals_adversely_named Individuals adversely named by ICAC] RailCorp 21 March 2012</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121101012128/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2253174.htm Railcorp corruption inquiry] ''[[7.30]]'' 22 May 2008</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Linton |last=Besser |author-link=Linton Besser |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fighting-railcorps-rats/2008/12/15/1229189492898.html|title=RailCorp corruption 'extraordinary', report finds|agency=Australian Associated Press|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=15 December 2008|access-date=6 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/charges-recommended-for-railcorp-fraud/story-fna7dq6e-1111117424077|work=[[The Australian]]|title=ICAC recommends further 10 charges over Railcorp fraud|date=8 September 2008|agency=Australian Associated Press|access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Linton|last=Besser|author-link=Linton Besser|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/railcorps-scrutineer-is-one-of-its-own-executives-20090402-9l45.html|title=RailCorp's scrutineer one of its own executives|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=3 April 2009|access-date=6 April 2012|archive-date=7 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607062914/http://www.smh.com.au/national/railcorps-scrutineer-is-one-of-its-own-executives-20090402-9l45.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2009, RailCorp terminated the contract of Vicki Coleman, its [[chief information officer]], and it was claimed that she was at the centre of claims of dishonesty and corruption.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/railcorp-boss-escorted-from-her-office-by-security/story-e6freuy9-1225729891546|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=Australia|title=RailCorp boss escorted from her office by security|author=Walters, Adam|date=9 June 2009|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=11 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011224249/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/railcorp-boss-escorted-from-her-office-by-security/story-e6freuy9-1225729891546|url-status=live}}</ref>

ICAC recommended charges against 33 people; yet by April 2012, only eight people had faced the courts. Those that received custodial sentences included Allan Michael Blackstock (4½ years) and Renea Hughes (3½ years). Youssef (Joe) Madrajat was directed to undertake [[community service#Alternative sentencing|community service]]. Further charges are expected to be laid on others, and several are still waiting for the outcome of criminal proceedings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/plenty-of-loot-but-convictions-harder-to-come-by-20120406-1wgue.html|title=Plenty of loot, but convictions harder to come by|date=7 April 2012|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=4 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204203406/http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/plenty-of-loot-but-convictions-harder-to-come-by-20120406-1wgue.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Emergency response==
RailCorp maintained a statewide Emergency Response Unit. The function of this unit was to attend incidents, such as [[derailments]]. Formerly known as the State Rail Fire Service, the unit was based in Sydney and responded to emergency incidents involving the rail network including automatic fire alarms within the underground and nearby stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20100601029|title=RailCorp City Circle Derailment Response|date=1 June 2010|work=Questions without notice: Hansard|publisher=Legislative Council of New South Wales|access-date=7 April 2012|author=Robertson, John|author-link=John Robertson (New South Wales politician)|archive-date=5 August 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805093632/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20100601029|url-status=live}}</ref> The unit also undertook cross-training with [[Fire & Rescue New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/5493/RailCorp_Annual_Report_2006-2007.pdf|title=Annual Report 2006–2007|journal=Annual Report|date=October 2007|issn=1835-2936|publisher=Rail Corporation New South Wales|page=16|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=9 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409042337/http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/5493/RailCorp_Annual_Report_2006-2007.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The unit was equipped with a number of vehicles including Mercedes and International pumpers and a specialist rapid rail response unit which was able to travel via the road and rail network for rescue operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.semfirerescue.com.au/downloads/VehiclePDF/Special/RapidRail.pdf|title=Rapid Rail Response Unit|publisher=SEM Fire and Rescue|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=21 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321111646/http://www.semfirerescue.com.au/downloads/VehiclePDF/Special/RapidRail.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The unit's motto was ''Semper Paratus'', translated from [[Latin]] to mean Always Ready.

==See also==
{{Portal|New South Wales|Railways}}
*[[Rail transport in New South Wales]]
*[[Railways in Sydney]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200318121219/https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/railcorp Official website]

{{Rail management structures in New South Wales}}
{{Rail network infrastructure companies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Government agencies of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 2004]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 2020]]
[[Category:Railway companies of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Railway infrastructure companies of Australia]]
[[Category:2004 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:2020 disestablishments in Australia]]