Mandurah line - WikiHQ

The Mandurah line, also known as the Southern Suburbs Railway or the South West Metropolitan Railway, is a suburban railway line in Western Australia that links Perth's central business district (CBD) with Mandurah to the south. Operated by the state's Public Transport Authority (PTA) as part of the Transperth system, the Mandurah line is long and has thirteen stations. The line operates as a through service with the Yanchep line to the north, and includes two stations in the William Street tunnel under the CBD. It continues south via the Kwinana Freeway's median strip, where five of its stations are located, then diverges from the freeway for the southernmost six stations in the cities of Kwinana, Rockingham and Mandurah.

Early planning for the Mandurah line began in 1989 during planning for the Yanchep line. In 1994, a route branching off the Armadale line at Kenwick to follow the Kwinana freight railway and Kwinana Freeway was selected, but after the election of a Labor state government in 2001, the planned route was changed to go via a tunnel under the CBD. The Mandurah line, which was built as part of the New MetroRail project, was divided into seven major contract packages. It was designed similarly to the Yanchep line, using widely spaced stations with bus interchanges and large park-and-rides.

Construction began in February 2004; it was disrupted by labour strikes and technical issues, particularly on the CBD tunnel section. Originally planned to open between Perth and Warnbro station in 2006 and between Warnbro and Mandurah in 2007, the tunnel opened on 15October 2007 and the rest of the line opened on 23December 2007. The total cost of New MetroRail was A$1.725billion. Two infill stations have since opened: Aubin Grove in April 2017 and Lakelands in June 2023. In June 2025, the Thornlie line was extended to Cockburn Central station on the Mandurah line, completing the Kenwick route that was planned before 2001.

B-series and C-series trains are the main rolling stock used on the Mandurah line, and A-series trains were also formerly common. Trains run at a fifteen-minute headway during most times, reducing to as short as a five-minute headway in peak periods, when some services terminate at Cockburn Central. The travel time from Perth to Mandurah is 54 minutes. The line's patronage has significantly exceeded expectations, reaching a high of 23,075,517 boardings in the 2024–25 financial year, making it the busiest Transperth railway line.

History

Route selection

In February 1989, ahead of that year's state election and amidst planning for the Northern Suburbs Railway, now known as the Yanchep line, the government of Western Australia announced it was investigating the building of a railway line from Perth to Rockingham or Mandurah. Later that year, the South West Rapid Transit Study was formed; its steering committee consisted of representatives from the Department of Transport, the Main Roads Department, the Department of Planning and Urban Development, Transperth and Westrail. In 1990, the committee released a report outlining two route options: an extension of the Fremantle line or a branch off the Armadale line at Kenwick, both of which made use of freight rail corridors. The premier of Western Australia, Carmen Lawrence, announced in February 1992 the Fremantle option had been chosen. By this stage, bus rapid transit had been ruled out. The South West Area Transit (SWAT) Steering Committee was formed to consider rail-based alternatives, such as light rail. The section between Fremantle and Rockingham was scheduled to open in 1996, with the Rockingham-to-Mandurah section opening five years later. Legislation to build the railway was introduced to the Parliament of Western Australia later that year. By January 1993, the SWAT Steering Committee had recommended to government the rail line should be an extension of the existing network, and not light rail.

Independently of the SWAT Steering Committee, Westrail investigated a direct route from Perth to Mandurah via Thomsons Lake at the behest of the Department of Planning and Urban Development. The Kwinana Freeway's median strip south of the Narrows Bridge was considered too narrow compared to that of the Mitchell Freeway, where the Northern Suburbs Railway was constructed. An underground route from Perth to the Mount Henry Bridge was determined to cost about A$800million, which was considered too expensive.

Following the 1993 state election, the new Liberal government deferred the construction of the railway to Mandurah, but continued its planning. The Kenwick route became the preferred option because its travel time to Perth was shorter than that of the Fremantle route. The Kenwick route was reserved in the Metropolitan Region Scheme in December 1994. Ahead of the 1996 state election, Labor leader Geoff Gallop committed to building within four years a railway line from Fremantle to Rockingham that would be extended to Mandurah if Labor won a second term in government. Western Australia's Transport Minister Eric Charlton instead pledged the new line would branch off the Armadale line at Kenwick.

Kenwick route

In August 1997, the Liberal state government commissioned a master plan for the Kenwick route. The cabinet endorsed the South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan and released it in March 1999. The plan outlined the route of the Mandurah line and its construction. The new track was to be long; including existing track between Perth and Kenwick, the distance from Perth to Mandurah would have been . Commencing at Kenwick, the railway would run parallel to the Kwinana freight railway until the Glen Iris estate in Jandakot, then south along the Kwinana Freeway's median strip to Kwinana, then southwest through Kwinana, Rockingham and Mandurah along the alignment reserved in the Metropolitan Region Scheme. Three options were given for the railway's route through Rockingham. The new line was forecast to cost, in total, $941million, of which $629million was for infrastructure and $312million was for rolling stock. The line was planned to open as far as Thomsons Lake in 2005, with an extension to Rockingham and Mandurah opening in 2006. Two busways were built to supplement the railway; one along the Kwinana Freeway from Perth to the Murdoch Park 'n' Ride, and one from Fremantle to Rockingham.

Stations were planned at Thornlie, Nicholson Road, Canning Vale (later renamed Ranford Road), South Lake, Thomsons Lake (later renamed Cockburn Central), Thomas Road (later renamed Kwinana), Leda (later renamed Wellard), one or two stations in Rockingham, Waikiki (later renamed Warnbro), and Mandurah, with provision for additional intermediate stations in the future. Upgrades along the Armadale line would have been necessary due to short station spacing and level crossings. Lathlain and Welshpool stations were to be closed, and Carlisle and Victoria Park stations were to be rebuilt and relocated, in part to fill the gap left by the closure of Lathlain station. Perth, Oats Street, Queens Park and Beckenham stations were to be upgraded as well. Several road and pedestrian level crossings were to be grade separated. The new service was to operate as a through service with the Yanchep line, known at the time as the Joondalup line, due to the lines' similar levels of patronage, leaving the Armadale line to terminate at Perth station.

The master plan gave three options for the railway's route through Rockingham. Two options would run via Rockingham city centre, the first having a tunnel and the second having a tunnel, each with a station in the city centre and at Ennis Avenue. The third option would run along Rockingham's outskirts, bypassing the city centre, with one station at Dixon Road. The options were costed at $143million, $107million and $31million, respectively. The City of Rockingham was strongly in favour of the first two options, but in the first two options, trains travelling through Rockingham would take an additional five minutes, and demand modelling projected similar patronage for all three options. Two weeks after the master plan was released, a task force was formed to meet with members of the Rockingham community and receive submissions. Out of nine thousand written submissions, 93 percent supported running the route through the city centre. In October 2000, the state government announced that a route through the Rockingham city centre had been chosen.

thumb|The Kenwick tunnel, which was used for the [[Thornlie line instead, after the direct route was selected.|alt=A tunnel between two mainline tracks, with two tracks spurring off to enter the tunnel]]

Excluding Rockingham, three short tunnels were required for this route, which were constructed ahead of time. The two tunnels for the railway to enter and exit the Kwinana Freeway median strip, at Glen Iris and Anketell, were constructed for $30million as part of a project to upgrade and extend the freeway. The northbound freeway carriageway between Kwinana and Jandakot was also moved west to accommodate the railway line in the median strip. A tunnel was constructed in Kenwick as part of the extension of Roe Highway and the realignment of Albany Highway. Between Warnbro and Mandurah, the line was planned to have a single track, allowing a maximum of two trains per hour to Mandurah. The plan for that section was changed to double track in 2000 for an additional $20million.

State Parliament passed the Railway (Northern and Southern Urban Extensions) Act 1999 in November 1999, authorising the construction of the railway to Mandurah, and the extension of the Joondalup line to Clarkson and Butler. A new master plan with revisions was released in April 2000, and in June 2000, the South West Metropolitan Railway project and the Joondalup line extension to Clarkson were merged into one project, known as the Perth Urban Rail Development Project. In October 2000, the funding arrangements were decided, allowing the planned opening date to be brought forward to 2004 for Kenwick to Thomsons Lake, and 2005 for the full line to Mandurah. The privatisation of AlintaGas would provide $300million, a railcar lease would provide $398million, and the remaining $449million would be funded by government debt.

Direct route

While in opposition, the Labor Party opposed the Kenwick route and wanted the railway to be an extension of the Fremantle line. Murdoch University professor and transport expert Peter Newman criticised the route for not going via Fremantle, but by 1999, had changed to advocating for a direct route along the Kwinana Freeway between Perth and Jandakot. By 2000, the Labor Party, not wanting to appear too critical, was in favour of the Kenwick route. The Department of Transport opposed the direct route, saying it would require the closure of the Kwinana Freeway bus lanes and serve a lower population than the Kenwick route. The following year, Labor was elected to state government, and in July 2001, the new Cabinet approved a change from the Kenwick route to the direct route along the Kwinana Freeway. This direct route involved a tunnel to bring the line through the central business district (CBD). The route's main advantage was that it made for a shorter, more direct journey from Mandurah to Perth, reducing the journey time by twelve minutes. It also allowed for stations near Murdoch University and at the southern side of the Perth CBD, but was more expensive, requiring parts of the original plan to be cut. To make use of the already-constructed Kenwick tunnel, the Thornlie line was to be built as a one-station spur off the Armadale line. The Mandurah line's opening date was postponed for a year, but the government committed to not exceeding the cost of the Kenwick route.

The master plan for the new route was released in August 2002. There were to be stations at William Street (later renamed Perth Underground), Esplanade (later renamed (Elizabeth Quay), Canning Bridge, Leach Highway (later renamed Bull Creek), South Street (later renamed Murdoch), Thomsons Lake (later renamed Cockburn Central), Thomas Road (later renamed Kwinana), Rockingham, Waikiki (later renamed Warnbro), and Mandurah. South Lake station at Berrigan Drive was removed to save $6million. Leda station was funded but not initially planned for construction due to the lack of nearby suburban development; the station, now known as Wellard, was later brought forward to be constructed with the rest of the line. Planned upgrades to the Armadale line between Perth and Kenwick were scaled back. The section from Perth to Waikiki was planned to open in December 2006, and the section between Waikiki and Mandurah was planned to open the following December.

thumb|upright|Blue poles in South Perth|alt=Steel overhead line equipment poles painted blue

The direct route received criticism from several sources. Residents of South Perth complained the railway would be an eyesore and encroach on the Royal Perth Golf Club. The local Member of Parliament (MP), Phillip Pendal, and former transport minister Julian Grill called for the railway and freeway to be put underground between the Narrows Bridge and Mount Henry Bridge; the minister for planning and infrastructure, Alannah MacTiernan, said doing so would cost $500million, and that the ground-level option would have minimal aesthetic impact because it would be in the middle of a freeway. Use of a third rail instead of overhead lines in South Perth was considered but ruled out due to cost, operational reasons, safety and aesthetics. In response to community concerns, the poles for the overhead lines in South Perth were painted blue and made of steel rather than concrete, allowing them to be slim.

To ensure costs remained within that of the Kenwick route, the diversion through the Rockingham city centre was cancelled, resulting in criticism from the mayor of Rockingham, Chris Elliott. Rockingham station was relocated to the intersection of Ennis Avenue and Rae Road by using a corridor reserved for the unbuilt Garden Island Highway; this was closer to the Rockingham city centre than the 1999 master plan's bypass route. The Rockingham City Centre Transit System was proposed to link the station to the Rockingham city centre and foreshore. Guided buses and light rail were considered, and in 2004, a bus service running partially along a dedicated transitway was chosen. The cancellation of stage two of the Kwinana Freeway Bus Transitway, a reduction in railcars required for the shorter route, and a downscaling of the Armadale line and Perth station upgrades also helped ensure the direct route could remain within the costs of the Kenwick route. The plan to lease the railcars was also cancelled because it would have been more expensive in the long term.

Construction

Construction of the Southern Suburbs Railway was divided into eight contract packages; this allowed for works on the freeway and bridges to begin before other parts of the project were finalised, and for the awarding of contracts to smaller businesses. With the exception of Package E, which was managed by Main Roads Western Australia, the packages were managed by New MetroRail, a division of the Public Transport Authority (PTA) that was responsible for rail expansion, The eight packages were:

{| class="wikitable"

!Package

!Value

!Scope

|$310 million

Drainage, earthworks, tracks and the traction power network from Mandurah to the Narrows Bridge
Roadworks, bridges, and underpasses from Mandurah to Glen Iris
Signalling and communications for the entire line
Mandurah railcar depot

|$32 million

|Cockburn Central, Kwinana, and Wellard stations

|$38 million

|Rockingham, Warnbro and Mandurah stations

|$32 million

|Canning Bridge, Bull Creek, and Murdoch stations

|$105 million

|Roadworks along the Kwinana Freeway, including new bridges, barriers, and modification of the existing bridges

|$324.5 million

|Tunnelling, Perth Underground station, Esplanade station and the connection to the rest of the rail network

|$10.6 million

|New train control system

|Various minor works

The state parliament passed the Railway (Jandakot to Perth) Act 2002 in November 2002 to authorise the Jandakot to Perth section. To secure the support of the Greens and defeat an opposition motion for the bill to be sent to a parliamentary committee, the government committed to building South Perth station by 2010. Public comments for the environmental review began soon thereafter. The minister, Judy Edwards, approved the project in November 2003. As part of the environmental approval, fauna underpasses were required to be built within Leda Nature Reserve and Rockingham Lakes Regional Park.

Tunnelling

thumb|The [[William Street tunnel north of Elizabeth Quay station, known before 2016 as Esplanade station|alt=Circular concrete rail tunnel]]

In October 2001, the Perth City Rail Advisory Committee was formed in response to controversy over the route through Perth's CBD. The committee released its report in March 2002, detailing three main route options: a western route via the Mitchell Freeway, a central route via a tunnel under William Street and an eastern route via a longer tunnel further east. The committee recommended the eastern route but the government ruled that out due to its cost. The committee was re-established to reconsider the two remaining route options in more detail. In May, it recommended the William Street route, which was approved by Cabinet in June. Expressions of interest for Package F, which was expected to cost $200million, were called for in March 2003 and closed in April 2003; five consortia submitted expressions of interest. In May 2003, CityConnect (Clough–McConnell Dowell–Obayashi) and Leighton–Kumagai Gumi were shortlisted, and in November that year, the Leighton–Kumagai Gumi Team was selected. Cabinet approved the contract the following month, with the cost rising to about $320million, taking the cost of the Southern Suburbs Railway to $1.059billion. In February 2004, the contract was signed for $324.5million.

thumb|left|upright=1.3|Construction work at the Esplanade station site, February 2005|alt=Construction site with an excavator sitting there. Excavation of the station box has begun.

On 26February 2004, a ceremony was held to mark the start of preliminary drilling and surveying, which was the first physical work done for the Southern Suburbs Railway. Demolition of buildings to make way for William Street station began in April 2004. Technical issues with the tunnel boring machine (TBM) delayed the start of tunneling. Initially expected to reach William Street station before Christmas, which led to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission issuing a strike ban for the remainder of the project in December 2005. Over 400 workers struck for twelve days in February and March 2006. Tunnelling was also paused for several weeks in April and May 2006 because of a dispute between the contractors and the PTA regarding insurance. The TBM broke through into William Street station on 7February 2006. It was relaunched heading north on 4 May, The TBM was launched from Esplanade station for the second time on 19July, and reached William Street station on the night of 30–31August. It was relaunched on 22September

107 workers were prosecuted for violating the strike ban, of which eighty-seven were fined up to $10,000. Leighton filed several writs against the PTA in the Supreme Court of Western Australia regarding a dispute over the contract's rise-and-fall provisions, the cost of disposing of contaminated soil, an extension of the practical completion deadline, and the cost of dewatering. All legal action ended with a settlement in May 2009, bringing the total cost of the City Project to $439.3million, excluding legal fees. Leighton also reached two settlements, worth millions of dollars, with the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union.

Kwinana Freeway roadworks

thumb|The three parallel [[Narrows Bridge (Perth)|Narrows Bridges photographed in 2013|alt=A highway and railway bridge crossing a river viewed from a skyscraper]]

Package E was for alterations to the Kwinana Freeway between the CBD and Glen Iris. This included upgrades to the Narrows and Mount Henry Bridges, earthworks for Bull Creek and Murdoch stations, the realignment and reconstruction of the freeway ramps and intersections at Leach Highway and South Street, a replacement bus on-ramp at Canning Bridge station, and a realignment of the freeway carriageways.

By May 2003, two consortia had been shortlisted: Leighton Contractors, and a joint venture between Thiess and Barclay Mowlem. and in December that year, the contract was approved for $99.1million. The contract was signed the following month.

Before the Mandurah line was built, the Narrows Bridge, which crosses the Swan River, consisted of two parallel bridges with bus lanes as the innermost lane of each bridge. The recently-built northbound bridge was able to carry the northbound Mandurah line track with only minor strengthening, but the older southbound bridge was too weak and did not have enough room for the southbound track, so a new bridge for the southbound track was built in between the extant bridges. The new bridge was built using precast concrete beams that were craned into position. The first four beams were lifted into place by October 2005, and the bridge was completed by April 2006. The original plan for the Mount Henry Bridge, which crosses the Canning River, was the addition of extra lanes to both its west and east sides, and for the Mandurah line to run across the middle. Leighton proposed to construct a single bridge on the western side instead, To enable the Mandurah line to exit the freeway and enter the William Street tunnel, a bridge was built for the southbound carriageway of the Mitchell Freeway. This was built from the top down, allowing three lanes to remain open at all times. ConnectWest withdrew during the tender period. RailLink Joint Venture was selected in December 2003 and was awarded the contract in May 2004 for $310million.

Tracklaying began on 16March 2006, starting from RailLink's temporary depot in Hillman. The machine started by laying track north from Hillman to Roe Highway, then south from Hillman to Gordon Road in Mandurah, then north from Roe Highway to the Narrows Bridge. The machine did not lay any track south of Gordon Road and north of the Narrows Bridge. By the end of 2006, track laying was complete. Because of a delay caused by the late completion of other packages, the PTA reached a $21.8million settlement with RailLink in June 2006. By April 2007, the completion of Package A was further delayed by problems with the installation of signalling, which by August that year was the main issue delaying the opening of the Mandurah line.

Station construction

thumb|[[Cockburn Central railway station|Cockburn Central station under construction in December 2005|alt=A metal frame of a railway station being constructed]]

The nine stations between Canning Bridge and Mandurah were grouped into three packages. In September 2003, the state government called for expressions of interest for the three station packages. The Package D contract, which was for Canning Bridge, Bull Creek and Murdoch stations, was awarded to John Holland for $32million in November 2004. In March 2005, the Package B contract, which was for Cockburn Central, Kwinana and Wellard stations, was awarded to a joint venture between DORIC Constructions and Brierty Contractors for $32million. Package C was divided into two contracts, which were awarded in June 2005 for a total of $38million. The contract for Rockingham and Warnbro stations was awarded to the DORIC–Brierty Joint Venture, and the contract for Mandurah station was awarded to JM and ED Moore.

By the end of 2005, construction had begun on most stations. Cockburn Central, Kwinana, Wellard and Mandurah stations reached practical completion in January or February 2007, Rockingham and Warnbro stations reached practical completion in March or April, and Canning Bridge, Bull Creek and Murdoch stations reached practical completion in June 2007. The new system was launched on 4July 2005. EDI Rail and Bombardier Transportation built Nowergup railcar depot on the Joondalup line as part of the contract to construct the B-series trains. The depot opened on 13June 2004.

Cost escalations and opening

In April 2005, MacTiernan said the Southern Suburbs Railway would be completed on time and on budget, despite the ongoing industrial problems. Later that month, she said the opening had been delayed from December 2006 to April 2007 because of delays on the City Project as a result of heritage protection works at Perth Underground station, engineering challenges on the foreshore, and industrial disputes, which also delayed Package A's tracklaying. A $45million escalation in the project's budget contingency was also announced because the last two station contracts cost more than expected. In April 2006, a further postponement to July 2007 was announced, along with a $50million escalation in the budget contigency due to claims made by Leighton–Kumagai and RailLink. The May 2006 state budget revealed the Mandurah line's debt would be fully paid off using a budget surplus. In May 2007, it was announced the July opening date would not be met and that the new opening date was unknown. In June 2007, a completion deadline of that year's November was given. Another $50million cost escalation was revealed in September 2007, bringing the total cost of New MetroRail to $1.66billion.