AUSTRALIA: Perth’s Transperth suburban rail network has expanded with the opening of the Thornlie – Cockburn Line, providing a 17 km east-west link between the north-south Mandurah and Armadale lines.
More than 20 000 people joined the opening celebrations on June 8, the day before the start of regular services, with live entertainment and a free sausage sizzle.
‘We are giving people in Perth’s southeastern suburbs more travel choices, addressing road congestion and stimulating land development to help deliver well-planned and more liveable communities’, said Western Australian Premier Roger Cook. ‘These projects aren’t just about infrastructure, they’re about connecting people and creating opportunities and vibrant communities.’
There are 1 400 parking spaces across three stations, and bus routes provide connections from the surrounding suburbs. The line provides a direct route from the Mandurah Line to Optus Stadium for the first time, so more trains will be able to serve the Australian Rules Football, cricket and concert venue during major events.
Thornlie – Cockburn Link project
The Thornlie – Cockburn Link was built by the NEWest Alliance of CPB Contractors and DT Infrastructure. Forming part of the wider Metronet expansion programme, it involved realigning existing freight tracks on the corridor to create space for the passenger tracks, and making use of a tunnel that had been built more than two decades ago in anticipation of the line.
There are two new stations at Nicholson Road and Ranford Road, and the stations at Thornlie and Cockburn Central have been upgraded with Thornlie becoming a through station. The 1 067 mm gauge line is electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz.
CPB Contractors said it had installed Australia’s largest bridge beams at Ranford Road Bridge, each weighing over 197 tonnes. A micro tunnel boring machine was used to drill twin tunnels under the existing freight corridor near Ranford Road Bridge, and five steel trusses were installed beneath the Canning River bridge to support structural integrity. More than 27 200 tonnes of recycled materials were used, including steel reinforcement, concrete, ballast, limestone blocks and plastic pipes.
Armadale Line elevated
The 8 km inner section of the Armadale Line has also reopened following rebuilding as an elevated line to eliminate level crossings. There are stations at Carlisle, Oats Street, Queens Park, Cannington and Beckenham. Underneath the line is a 7 km recreation area named the Long Park.
The outer section of the Armadale Line will reopen later this year. This will see rebuilt stations open at Sherwood, Challis, Kelmscott, Seaforth, Gosnells, Maddington and Kenwick, as well as a new elevated Armadale station and an extension of passenger services to a new station at Byford.
