Wentworth Metro

The Wentworth Metro (historically nicknamed the Met) is a rapid transit system in Wentworth, Enderron, operated by Transport for Wentworth, the municipal government-owned transport authority. It serves all 12 municipal boroughs of the city. The system is the oldest, busiest and largest in Enderron, and among the oldest continuously-operating rapid transit systems in the world, opening in 1934 with full-scale construction extending back to 1927. Despite this, the modern system seen today only began to take its recognisable form as late as the mid-1980s.

Construction of the Wentworth Metro was prompted by a study commissioned by the Wentworth municipal government in 1925 in order to find solutions to the increasing road congestion problem caused by the city's fast-growing economy. The first line opened in 1934 with the system being named the Wentworth Metropolitan Subway. The system underwent little expansion until the construction and opening of the second and third lines in the 1950s. During the 1960s the system fell into a dilapidated state as a result of a lack of funding and poor bureaucratic decision-making, and ridership dropped significantly.

Following the establishment of self-government in Wentworth and the new Transport for Wentworth authority in 1972, the system underwent a massive reconstruction and modernisation plan, and was rebranded to its current name in 1979. The network has seen substantial growth since the late 1980s, especially in the years leading up to Expo 96 and also in the 2010s to cope with the metropolitan region's rapidly growing population. The network still cannot adequately meet the city's mass transit needs, especially in the Eastern Coast region, where fewer than 10 percent of the network's stations are located. The metro system has a very high daily and annual ridership, rivalling that of mega cities around the world while serving a city with a population of just over 5 million. With an annual ridership of 1.06 billion, the Wentworth Metro is the world's 18th busiest metro system. More than 2.9 million trips are made on an average weekday. The Wentworth Metro is one of the most profitable metro systems in the world, with a farebox recovery ratio of 106%. Since 1998, the Oasis contactless smart card fare-payment technology has streamlined commuting and fares in the network by integrating the metro with other forms of public transport in the city.

History
The Wentworth municipal government first flagged the need for an underground rapid transit system in the city in the 1920s, largely due to rapidly increasing congestion on the city's roads (mostly built in the previous century), and the then-radical stance of the government predicting the rise of public transportation. The Wentworth Metro's planning and construction thus predates many rapid transit networks worldwide by multiple decades. Following disagreements over the alignment of the first line and a lack of funding, construction, which began in August 1927, was halted completely by 1929, with approximately one kilometre of cut-and-cover tunnelling completed with one station constructed. Construction recommenced in 1932 and steadily increased in work rate with an estimated completion date of late 1934.

The Rawson Line opened on 26 October 1934, with seven stations. This initial section of track formed the entire network for 14 years, before the opening of University station (coinciding with the establishment of the University of Wentworth) in 1948. Frequent disagreements occurred over the alignments of new lines and extensions, with the second line, the Swan Line, opening in 1955, nearly 21 years after the Rawson Line was finished. However, the first stage of the loop Circle Line (operating in a C-shape) was constructed with minimal disruption and disagreement, successfully opening on schedule in 1959.

The metro met a major funding obstacle soon after with the Enderronian economy suffering from a heavy downturn over the next few years. By the end of the 1960s, it was observed that the metro system was quite out of date. The atmosphere of the stations was uninviting, difficult to navigate, and with few passenger amenities on the platforms. Trains were infrequent, sporadic and frequently suffered from breakdowns and delays. The trains themselves were dilapidated and dim, and were covered with graffiti and litter. The rolling stock had not received any upgrades save for the Goninan stock in 1957 and minor refurbishments to the 1934 Comeng 1 and 1948 Comeng 2 stock in the early 1960s. The only new line to open during the decade was a short section of the Amsterdam Line (now the Downtown Line) in 1967.

A massive reconstruction, modernisation and expansion plan was laid out in 1971, once the economy had slowly recovered and under the direction of the newly elected Social Democratic federal government. In 1972, the plan was moved to the jurisdiction of the newly created Wentworth Metropolitan Government. Phase 1 of the recovery plan involved renovating the entire network and rolling stock, with new branding and signage. This involved ordering new Comeng 3 trains. Phase 2 involved the extension of the existing lines and completing construction on several stalled projects. In 1973, the remainder of the Circle Line was finally opened, completing the loop, followed by the first stage of the Hounslow Line in 1975. Phase 3 involved the planning and construction of brand new lines to serve the growing suburbs of Wentworth. The Downtown Line (extended and renamed in 1986), Brighton Line (opened in 1990) and later the Millennium Line (opened in 2001) opened as part of Phase 3.

Since the 2000s, the focus has shifted from building new lines to extending existing lines.

Network
There are currently 7 metro lines in operation, with lines and services being denoted numerically and alphabetically, as well as by official names and characteristic colours, which are used as a visual aid for better distinction on station signage and on the exterior of trains, in the form of a coloured block or belt. The system is designed on a circle-radial topology, with most lines running radially outward from the Wentworth CBD.

Most tracks in the Wentworth Metro system are served by a single service; thus "Line X" usually refers both to the physical line and its service.

Rolling stock
There are currently six types of electric multiple unit (EMU) rolling stock operating on the network. All run on the standard gauge and utilise 1500 V DC third rail for the power supply.

Ticketing
Since 1998, Wentworth Metro has used the Oasis contactless smartcard ticket system, replacing an old system of magnetic strip (Wentworth Metcard) and paper tickets.

There are five different types of reusable Oasis cards, denoted by unique colours: Adult (blue), Child (purple), Pensioner (gold), Concession (black) and School (silver).

Fares
The Oasis card has used a zoned-based fare system since 2014, replacing a distance-based fare system. Note:
 * Peak hour fares apply when users tap on during the times 7:00 am – 9:30 am, and 4:30 pm – 7 pm.
 * 'Concession' refers to Child, Pensioner and Concession cards.
 * Students with a valid School Oasis card and a proof of ID can use the Wentworth Metro network free of charge during school days between 6am and 9pm.
 * A $2.50 cap applies to all tickets (except single trip) on Sundays, and for pensioner cards any day of the week.

As a zone-based system, Oasis card users are required to tap on and tap off on all modes to ensure the correct fare is charged. If a user does not correctly tap off after tapping on, a default fare will be charged, which is equal to the maximum fare on that mode of travel. However, a lower default fare applies if it is not possible to reach the maximum fare on the route for which the tap on took place. On Sundays, the default fare is $5.00. The default fare will be charged after a time-out period of five hours from initial tap on or if the user changes modes or taps on at a gated station.

Gauge
Standard gauge is used throughout the network, allowing new train equipment to be transported from overseas.

Operating speed
The maximum operating speed varies between lines and on different tracks; the highest operating speed on the network is 120 km/h, on an eastern section of the Hounslow Line. The average operating speed for trains in the city centre is approximately 50 km/h.

Operating hours
Services normally operate from 4:00am to 1:00am (2:00am on the Hounslow Line), with the remaining three hours every early morning used for trackwork and maintenance. Most metro services operate on 'turn-up-and-go' schedules with higher headways during peak hours. On special event days and public holidays the timetables are changed to enable most lines to run for 24-hour periods.

Facilities and services
Most stations are built with island platform configurations. Except for short at-grade sections such as at Harbourfront, the entirety of the Wentworth Metro is elevated or underground. Mobile phone, 3G and 4G service are available in most parts of the network; free Wi-Fi coverage is also available within fare zone 1, with efforts to expand this network-wide.

Every station is equipped with ticketing machines and LED or plasma displays that show train service information and announcements. Most stations are equipped with restrooms and public telephones; some restrooms are located at street level. Some stations, especially the major ones, have additional amenities and services, such as retail shops and kiosks, supermarkets, convenience stores, automatic teller machines, and self-service automated kiosks for a variety of services.

Smoking and flammable goods are banned throughout the entire metro system, and eating, drinking and chewing gum are additionally banned on trains.

Languages
Until the 1990s, Wentworth Metro signage was almost entirely written in English. The lone exception was Chinatown station, which installed dual English-Chinese signage in 1982. Since 2000, metropolitan government policy has mandated increasingly expansive multilingualism on the metro system to better reflect the diverse population and support the four official languages of Wentworth: English, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese.

English remains by far the most predominant language on the system. Station names are written on signs at entrances and on platforms in all four languages (with English in the largest font), but most other signage, such as directional signs and maps, are only written in English. Automated station announcements are recorded mainly in English, with the other languages only also being played at major and tourist-heavy stations. Korean is also used on signage at Chalmers Street and Shinjuku, and Italian is used at Little Italy.

Accessibility
As of 2018, approximately 60 percent of Wentworth Metro stations have official 'Easy Access' status, which refers to step-free access from street to platform. Accessibility for disabled people was not considered when the system was originally built in the 1930s, and efforts to include accessibility in station designs have been made only since the 1980s. While since 2009 it has been mandatory for new stations and lines to incorporate Easy Access infrastructure, retrofitting existing stations has proved to be a difficult and costly challenge that will take place over multiple decades.

Platform screen doors
Almost all stations, except most of the elevated sections and sections of the Rawson Line's southern end, have platform screen doors (PSDs) with sliding acrylic glass at the platform edge. These screens have been retrofitted on existing lines, starting with the Rawson and Swan lines whose core stations had doors by the mid-1990s. On most of the elevated sections, the platform has half-height sliding safety doors called automatic platform gates.

Ventilation and cooling
All new underground stations are equipped with built-in air conditioning and ventilation systems as required by law since 1996. Older stations are currently being retrofitted to improve ventilation. Most elevated and open cut stations lack air conditioning due to the open air nature of their platforms, although some have ceiling fans instead.