Perth Voice Interactive

A THREE-person overseas council trip to China to study how trackless trams work will cost Stirling ratepayers about $18,000.

The council’s been investigating a trackless tram route from Glendalough Train Station to Scarborough Beach using trackless trams, and in 2020 received $2 million in federal funding to write a business case.

Trackless trams have been described as “arguably an elaborate bus” by public transit advocate Daniel Bowen on his long-running transport blog. They run on batteries and are a bit smoother than an average bus ride.

The council’s working with Chinese state-owned manufacturer CRRC to conduct a trial in Perth in October 2023, and after CRRC representatives visited Stirling in May a return visit is now planned.

The initial travel plans only included mayor Mark Irwin, a key advocate of Stirling’s trackless tram venture, and the council’s manager of strategy and performance, Michelle Wolsoncroft. 

But at the May 30 meeting Cr Stephanie Proud said: “So I was just wondering. Um. Would it be right and proper for the DM to go with you?”

The DM is ‘deputy mayor’. The deputy mayor is Cr Proud.

Cr Proud said “I’m actually serious” and the council agreed to add her to the trip.

All three will travel to Shanghai from July 9 to 13 to travel on the commercial trackless tram service in Lingang, visit test sites in Lingang 

and Nanjing, and tour the manufacturing workshop.

The estimated cost per person is $3,424 for economy airfares, and $2,433 for 7 nights accommodation, including overnight layovers in Singapore both ways.

One resident queried the spend at public question time. Roland Hadley of Woodlands asked “didn‚Äôt staff members visit China some years previously for the same reason?”

Mr Irwin said he was happy to take that question “offline” to discuss it further.

Mr Hadley was right: In 2019 the council spent $8,000 to send planning manager Fraser Henderson on a trackless tram tour to visit China, France, Germany, and Sweden. Mr Henderson has since moved jobs to another council.

“Sounds like a Chinese junket to me,” Mr Hadley commented of the newest trip. 

Elizabeth Re was the only councillor to oppose the spend.

“It’s only a couple of years ago that we sent Fraser – Mr Henderson,” Cr Re said, and noted Mr Henderson had provided a report about what he’d learned. 

Cr Re also argued they were still waiting on final costings and still needed federal funding for the overall project, as public transport wasn’t usually in local government’s purview. 

Mr Irwin said this trip was about “due diligence”.

“The reason for this visit is very different than the last visit,” which had occurred when trackless trams were very new. This time they’d be seeing “the exact model of the tram” that’d be used in the trial here.