$13.8bn
$XXX.Xm
39,717
13
$X.Xbn
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.Rail passenger transport providers have been investing in expansion activities and new projects. As these projects are completed in the coming years, providers are likely to benefit from increased passenger capacity and accessibility to new markets. For example, the Department of Transport NSW has been investing in new lines and stations to service a wider market, and Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has been engaging in similar expansion activities – particularly through the Regional Rail Revival and Melbourne Airport Rail projects. While these projects are on track to improve passenger numbers, providers are still likely to face competition from other modes of transport. Buses and trams are also likely to attract more patrons, depending on which means of transport passengers have access to. Nonetheless, the industry is set to continue benefiting from stable demand resulting from population and workforce growth. Revenue is forecast to climb at an annualised 1.2% to $14.7 billion over the five years through 2028-29.
Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 2.4 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $13.8bn in 2023.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue ($m)
2024 |
---|---|---|
Transport for NSW | 5,280.0 | |
Public Transport Victoria | 3,420.0 | |
Queensland Rail | 2,460.0 |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Urban weekday peak services, Urban weekday off-peak services and Urban weekend services. Urban weekday peak services is the largest segment of the Rail Passenger Transport in Australia.
Work-from-home trends have dampened revenue from urban weekday peak services
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.
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ANZSIC 4720 - Rail Passenger Transport in Australia
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Government subsidies make up most of the industry’s revenue. Since rail passenger ticket fares are relatively low, they don’t generate enough revenue to keep services profita...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Work-from-home trends have dampened rail transport passenger numbers. Even though COVID-19 restrictions have eased, more people have adopted remote-working arrangements for i...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Most commuters travel from residential areas to CBDs. Given that cities generate significant demand for transport, urban centres like Sydney and Melbourne attract more extens...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Rail transport providers tend to operate in geographically isolated markets. Since providers usually hold a regional monopoly, internal industry competition is limited.
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
The Department of Transport NSW is introducing new projects. For example, the Sydney Metro project – set to be completed by 2030 – will expand rail lines and improve services...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
State regulations apply to rail passenger transport providers. People or organisations that operate trains must be accredited by the area’s relevant body.
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Lower passenger numbers have cut into profitability. While COVID-19 movement restrictions have eased, the popularity of work-from-home arrangements has constrained demand for...
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in Australia include:
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The market size of the Rail Passenger Transport industry in Australia is $13.8bn in 2024.
There are 13 businesses in the Rail Passenger Transport industry in Australia, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.0 % between 2018 and 2023.
The market size of the Rail Passenger Transport industry in Australia has been growing at a CAGR of 2.4 % between 2018 and 2023.
Over the next five years, the Rail Passenger Transport industry in Australia is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Rail Passenger Transport market in Australia are Transport for NSW, Public Transport Victoria and Queensland Rail
Urban weekday peak services and Urban weekday off-peak services are part of the Rail Passenger Transport industry.
The company holding the most market share in Australia is Transport for NSW.
The level of competition is moderate and steady in the Rail Passenger Transport industry in Australia.