AUSTRALIA: Responsibility for the operation of Adelaide’s trams returned to the government of South Australia at 03.00 on August 31, ending the privatisation put in place by the previous government.
The Liberal government had awarded the Torrens Connect joint venture of John Holland, UGL and bus operator Transit Systems, operating as Adelaide Metro Operations, an eight-year tram and bus operating contract starting in 2020.
The Labor government elected in 2022 had made a manifesto commitment to take the tram operations back into the public sector, along with a similar contract for Keolis Downer Adelaide to operate suburban rail services, and in April 2023 agreements were reached with the contractors.
No contract break fee was paid, and AMO will continue to maintain the tram fleet and infrastructure until 2035.
The state government said returning tram services to public hands would ‘deliver more integrated and co-ordinated security and customer services’, with ‘clear accountability for service delivery and transparent performance reporting’.
‘Today we honour the first election promise we made to the people of South Australia - we are proudly returning essential rail services to public hands for the benefit of all South Australians’, said Premier Peter Malinauskas. ‘My Government is prioritising public transport that puts customers first - rather than a private operator, profit-based, KPI-driven strategy.’
The suburban rail contract ended in February 2025.
