Airport rail link on track

THE State Government will sign off soon on the route for a train line to Perth Airport.

The track could go underground, directly beneath the airport’s runways.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell told Community Newspaper Group that the Government would formally endorse a train route, in order for ‘the corridor’ to be reserved within the Metropolitan Region Scheme.

Perth Airport chief executive Brad Geatches confirmed that Perth Airport was incorporating engineering in its redevelopment design plan, which would allow for a train line to the airport.

He said while there were no firm plans yet, it was important not to preclude rail transport to the airport.

“So the design we are doing now is to make sure that options always remain open,” he said.

Mr Geatches said the preferred line to the airport would be the nearby Midland line and he expected it to go across the river, up Tonkin Highway and then along Brearley Avenue.

“Then it will be in a trench and will go underground, and it’ll cut across underneath the runways into the precinct,” he said.

“So we’d have to do our engineering now, so we can put this stuff under it, or it could never happen. They are designing for it.”

He said he expected any train line to the airport to continue out to a station in High Wycombe.

Mr Buswell reiterated comments previously made, saying he would like to see an extension of the rail line to a commuter station beyond the airport to service residents of Kalamunda and surrounding areas.

He said while the construction of the line itself would be some time off, it was important the route was finalised soon.

A rail link to the airport was identified last year in the draft 2031 Public Transport Plan as a Stage 2 project, which would take place after 2020.

Shire of Kalamunda president Don McKechnie said the Shire had been “battling hard” for the past three years to establish a railway line to Kalamunda.

“We have been in contact with both political parties and have been told it will be a priority in the upcoming election,” he said.

The plan identified an eastern suburbs line linking to the Midland line at Bayswater.

What everyone else is thinking

petedavo

13/09/2012

We need it to go thru Wattle Grove, otherwise we'd have to park at the international Terminal. Way to expensive for commuters. We don't even have a bus service for 1,000s of new homes here, just a new primary school. Not even a high school so kids have to walk kilometres every morning to a bus stop to commute.

Les

24/08/2012

Ah yes WA (Wait Awhile). Go and visit the Rail Museum at Bassendean and you will see that trains serviced quite a bit of the greater metro area, for example there was a Jandakot station. As synical as I am, I believe the WA Government, past and present knows the full value of the GST credits associated with fuel. Why would they go the rail option when a lot more revenue can be gained from taxes and traffic infringements etc. One last thing, if Government does get smart and actually employs experienced forward thinking planners. Will the Thornlie rail line extend to at least Canning Vale? Will trams make a return to Perth streets - should not have stopped in the first place. Will the rail line to Kalgoorlie and even beyond to Port Augusta be two ways. Imagine that, a reduction in heavy vehicles and even a rail line to Geraldton and beyond - say Karratha. Open this Nanny State up for goodness sake.

martha whitney

15/07/2012

I just returned to Mosman Park after another trip to the airport. It's Sunday, and traffic wasn't too bad but I thought to myself "it sure will be nice when they get this rail line done!" only to learn via a quick internet search that that is not what is happening at all. All that excavation and grading...it seems like it could have been a two birds opportunity: increase safety at intersections, add a couple of lanes, and put in a rail line. More lanes = more cars but one rail line = fewer cars. I just don't get it.

Alternative route

23/06/2012

I agree with comments about using the freight train line right of ways to access the airport. Then there would be no need to go underground. While it would not be the most direct route it would only add 10mins to the trip over the more direct underground route. The train station would be located at the international terminal (which I understand is also going to be the Domestic Terminal in a few years also), they could then have a shuttle bus service to drop the passagers off at various terminals around the airport. And you could consider giving the Maida Vale a station also which is currently a public transport free zone.

Barry

21/06/2012

If we are going to have a rail link direct to the airport and its going to take another 5 years or so, why then can't we have a direct Govt. bus link from Perth rail up the highway to the airport now, instead of taking 50 odd mins going all through the suburbs as it presently is and diffucilt to access directly from the rail.

Bob

28/03/2012

Curty, all three of those suburbs have direct bus services to Perth. And Belmont's buses run every fifteen minutes minimum, plus has the CircleRoute to Oats Street on the Armadale Line and Bayswater on the Midland Line.

H Hyland

This rail link is needed before 2020, rather than after.
And it is certainly needed to link the Midland line with suburbs to the east of the airport.
(Years ago there was a passenger and goods rail service to Kalamunda and beyond.)

Stanley

Make is so the Avon link and Prospector type diesel railcars can use it to and connect into the frieght line the other side of the airport to Midland or down the back way through South Fremantle to Freo.

Curty

27/03/2012

Good idea. But i don't know where the money is coming from. Its all pie in the sky. Better get to it soon. A rail station would be good in Belmont, High Wycombe Kalamunda because the only bus services servicing these fringe rural areas not even on the hills are from Midland and these are necver frequent or reliable.

Haggis

Is it realy necessary to go underground at additional cost ? The idea sounds good however I am not convinced. The project would drag on, lets get it up and running soon, there is plenty of Federal land and unallocated Crown land available. A rail link would serve the community at large, perhaps the local government authorities could help to boost the necessary funds. Think what they could achieve if they all reduced their superannuation for a year from 14% to the normal 9%. In anycase the rail link would pay for itself in a short time.

Hiko

Why wait till 2020. Do it as soon as possible with fund coming from increasing the Mining Royalty so that WA would not contribute to the ridiculous federal RSPT which will only benefit states with little or no minerals. To hell with the ALP !!!

Vee

About time - most major cities in the world have a rail service which serves it and with the increase in traffic and FIFO people, it needs something to serve those of us who don't want to pay $100 each way to the airport or have to park our car there to save the $200 return trip.

Jam tomorrow

Liberals don't build rail lines - they shut them. Where's the money? It's all fairy floss.

Muzza

Fantastic news. I only hope that the government brings forward the construction time as this is a really vital transport link for Perth and will ease congestion on Great Eastern Highway and further east as well as add a valuable service to the growing airport traffic (people).