Perth's passenger rail network covers 252.8 km (157.1 mi) of track with 90 stations on 8 lines across the city's greater metropolitan area.[2] Over the last three decades the rail network has undergone rapid expansion. Between 1981 and 2016 the network tripled in route length and was electrified.[3] The Northern Suburbs Railway was opened in 1993 and was progressively extended, while the new 72 km (45 mi) Mandurah Line was opened in 2007.[3] Rail patronage over this period grew from just 6.5 million passengers in 1981 to 60.6 million in 2017-18.[3][2]
Perth's rail network is a commuter rail service that connects its suburbs with the city centre. It is notable within Australia, however, for its high frequency of services and high average speeds.[4] Its main hub is Perth railway station, which serves all Transperth rail lines in the central business district.
There are currently several large extensions to the network either under construction or planned, including the Airport Line, Morley-Ellenbrook Line and Thornlie–Cockburn link, under the Metronet expansion project.
The first service with the A-series train was introduced in September 1991, with regular services beginning on the Armadale line on 7 October 1991. The Midland and Fremantle lines commenced service with the then-new A-series trains in December 1991.
The conversion from diesel to electric trains was accompanied by many upgrades to the rail network, such as upgrades to stations and tracks, and the cost of the undertaking was estimated at around $109 million.
The Northern Suburbs Transit System was the name given to the project to provide high-speed passenger rail services to the northern corridor of metropolitan Perth. To service the expanding northern suburbs, Joondalup line was built in the median of the Mitchell Freeway in the early 1990s, after several years of planning.[7] The line was later extended to Currambine in 1993, to Clarkson in 2004 and Butler in 2014.[8]
Legislation for the construction of the Mandurah Line was passed in December 1999.[9] The original proposed route branched from the Armadale line at Kenwick, and then ran alongside the freight lines until Jandakot where it would run in the middle of the Kwinana Freeway. However, a bill passed in November 2002 after a change of state government saw that the route would start at Perth, traverse the Kwinana Freeway, and then continue along its initial route after Jandakot.[10]
Construction of the line started in February 2004 and it opened on 23 December 2007.[11]
Thornlie Spur
Because the government did not begin its review of the Mandurah Line masterplan until after construction had begun, the tunnel under the Roe Highway had already been constructed. To make use of the new tunnel, the government decided to convert this section into a small spur line to Thornlie.
It was decided that Armadale trains would alternate with Thornlie trains, with the Thornlie trains stopping at all stations and Armadale trains only stopping at Oats Street and Cannington stations. Thornlie station opened on 7 August 2005.
In 2003, the government launched the New MetroRail program as the official name of the upgrades to the rail network. This program included the following projects:
Rail services in Perth were at first operated by the Department of Works and Railways until 1890, when Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was established.[12] In 1974, the suburban train network was placed under the control of the Metropolitan (Perth) Passenger Transport Trust (commonly called the MTT), which had operated Perth's buses since 1958. The MTT contracted out the operation of rail services to WAGR, trading as Westrail following 1975.[13][14]: 6, 8 [15]: 233 On 31 August 1986, the MTT changed its trading name to Transperth.[13][16] The rail system was rebranded as Fastrak in November 1992,[17] however this name stopped being used around 1995.[15]: 237 On 1 July 2003, Transperth merged with several other government authorities to form the Public Transport Authority.[18] Prior to that, services were operated by the WAGR Commission's Urban Passenger Services Group,[19] and since then, services have been operated by Transperth Train Operations.[20]
Prior to the 2017 Western Australian state election, the then-opposition Labor Party promised a large expansion to Perth's rail network under the title Metronet.[21] After the comprehensive victory by Labor, the Mark McGowan government established Metronet to oversee a number of projects to expand and improve the network.[22] Projects in stage one include:
In August 2014, the government announced the 8.5 km (5.3 mi) Forrestfield-Airport Link[23][24] would be constructed providing a service to Perth Airport and High Wycombe.[25][26] Construction commenced officially in November 2016, with the Airport Line service due to commence in 2022.[27]
Perth's first East-West rail link is planned to run between Thornlie and Cockburn Central stations, connecting the Mandurah and Armadale lines.[33] This proposal involves 14.5 km (9.0 mi) of new railway, relocating 11 km (6.8 mi) of freight line and building two new stations. Construction started in 2020, with the line expected to open in 2023.[33][34]
Yanchep Rail Extension
The Yanchep Rail Extension is a project to extend the Joondalup line north for 14.5 km (9.0 mi) with stations at Alkimos, Eglinton and Yanchep.[35] The Yanchep Rail Extension and the Thornlie-Cockburn Link are slated to have a combined cost of $1.1 billion.[36] The extension started construction in 2020, with a planned completion in 2022.[37][38]
Proposals exist for a higher-speed rail link from Perth to Bunbury,[46] with a proposed travel time of 45 minutes[47] compared to the current Australind service's 2 hours 30 minutes.
Other proposals
South Perth station
A station in South Perth on the Mandurah Line has been proposed since 2010 to serve Perth Zoo and the City of South Perth as a bus-rail interchange. In 2019, South Perth MLA John McGrath made renewed calls to plan and build the station.[48]
Suburban services
The Transperth train system is generally regarded as a commuter rail system. However, it shares many similarities with rapid transit systems, including high frequency services (every 5 minutes from 2–6pm on the Joondalup/Mandurah lines[49]), short distances between stations (less than 2 km or 1.2 mi on Midland/Fremantle lines) and high capacity, single deck electric multiple unit (commonly known as EMUs) trains with fast acceleration.
Routes
Transperth system map
Transperth runs five train routes along five train lines that converge at Perth railway station, with one spur line. These lines are:
Fremantle line – goes in a westerly direction towards Fremantle. Major stations include Subiaco and Claremont. When trains arrive at Perth station they continue through to the Midland Line.
Joondalup line – goes in a northern direction, on the Mitchell Freeway central reservation, before moving eastward near Eddystone Avenue through to Joondalup, then returning to the Mitchell Freeway reserve and continuing towards Clarkson. The line then continues currently as a two single track split up at Nowergup depot, then merge back and continues to Butler. When trains on the Joondalup line arrive at Perth station, they continue through to the Mandurah line. Future expansion plans provide for the extension of the line to Yanchep.
Mandurah line – goes in a southward direction, on the Kwinana Freeway central reservation until Kwinana, then curving south-west towards Rockingham and then south to Mandurah. When trains on the Mandurah line arrive at Perth station, they continue through to the Joondalup line.
All of the above services except the Prospector and AvonLink run on 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow-gauge tracks. The Prospector and AvonLink run on 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gaugetracks and takes the same route as the Midland line services. Consequently, the track between East Perth and Midland is dual gauge.
Below is the annual patronage of each railway line as of the 2020–21 financial year. Figures are provided as total boardings, which includes all fare-paying boardings and free travel on stations within the free transit zones as well as transfers between stations. The figures for rail replacement and special events services are included in the total but not allocated to any railway line.[50]
One GE U20C diesel-electric locomotive, classed U and numbered 201
Note: All first and second generation B-series have been upgraded and renumbered to resemble the third generation. The fourth generation is practically the same as the third.
Classified AEA-AEB (A for passenger, E for electric and the final letter being the car type) under the old WAGR classification system, these units were simply known as EMU's. It was not until the ordering of the first B-series, that they were given the name A series.
The A-series railcars were built for the electrification of Perth's suburban railway system in the early 1990s and the Joondalup line, which was being constructed in the same period. The first was delivered on 1 September 1990. The original order for 43 first-generation railcars were followed by an additional order for 5 second-generation railcars due to the Joondalup line exceeding passenger estimates. Delivered in 1998, the second-generation railcars differ in having LED screens and other upgrades to security and accessibility, as well being the first suburban trains to feature longitudinal seating throughout. A-series railcars can be coupled to form four or six carriage trains.
Each set consists of three carriages. The powered 'A' and 'B' cars each have a driver's cab, while the central 'T' car is entirely devoted to passengers, and supplies power from overhead lines to the powered cars. The B-series railcars operate as three and six carriage trains, with the potential for nine car trains in the future. They have a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).
On 19 September 2006 PremierAlan Carpenter, announced that the Public Transport Authority would purchase another 15 new 3-car sets from the EDI-Bombardier Transportation joint venture. The first of the second generation B-series railcars were introduced on 28 June 2009 and have allowed some of the A-series railcars to be transferred to the Midland-Fremantle line.
As more B-series railcars became available with the ordering of a third generation, they allowed the remaining A-series railcars operating on the Joondalup and Mandurah lines to be redistributed to the Armadale/Thornlie, Midland and Fremantle lines, increasing total capacity for these lines.
Future fleet
41 new six-car sets are planned to enter service between 2020 and 2028 (17 for passenger growth and 24 allowing for the removal of the A-series railcars), the purchase and maintain contract for which has been won by Alstom. These railcars will be designated as C-series railcars.
Following the separation from Westrail, Transperth retained an MA classdiesel-hydraulic locomotive for shunting at Claisebrook depot. It was withdrawn in 2014.
Depots
Transperth Train Operations run from two main depots and one minor depot:
^ abcLaird, Philip (2016). "Perth's urban rail renaissance". Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences Papers – via University of Wollongong Online.
^"About". www.metronet.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
^"Annual Report 2009–2010". Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA). Government of Western Australia. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
^"Annual Report 2010–2011". Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA). Government of Western Australia. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
