After the Yanchep extension came online earlier his year, the METRONET rail infrastructure expansion is moving quickly with the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal project along the Armadale line.
Expected to generate 4,300 jobs during construction, the crossing removal project’s concrete structure reached 100 per cent completion in September, putting it on track to be finished by the middle of 2025.
The project is Perth’s first major elevated rail project and entails the removal of six level crossings by raising nearly four kilometres of rail over the road at the existing intersections. It will also feature five new, modern elevated stations to enhance connectivity and provide the foundations for the development of community hubs.
As the most significant upgrade ever undertaken on the 131-year-old Armadale line, the crossing removals will improve safety and ease traffic congestion for road users, while also creating six hectares of new public open space and eliminating the noise of warning bells and train horns.
Construction is now progressing on the five new stations at Carlisle, Oats Street, Queens Park, Cannington and Beckingham, and more than seven kilometres of track has been laid.
Federal Member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas said the people of Swan, and Perth more broadly, would see the fruits of this massive investment in METRONET for generations. She added: “The removal of these level crossings will improve commute times, while the addition of new stations will increase the take up in public transport, removing even more traffic from our roads – it’s a win for everyone.”
The four kilometres of elevated rail was constructed using more than 1,000 locally manufactured precast concrete elements, including L-beams, piers and headstocks. A total of 260 prestressed L beams were used for the main viaduct, with the design of the 31-metre-long, 130-tonne beams a first for Western Australia.
Forty prestressed 29.9-metre T beams will become station platforms, while 480 reinforced headstocks and supporting column segments were manufactured for below the viaduct. Weighing between six and 120 tonnes, more than 60 per cent of the precast elements were installed using four gantry cranes that were custom-built and commissioned from Italy.
The gantry cranes – affectionately named Victor, Becky, Kediny and Yira – helped minimise the project’s construction footprint and retain more trees and vegetation along the rail corridor.
WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said: “It’s been incredible to see the speed at which this structure has been delivered, which is testament to the enormous amount of planning and preparation that has gone into delivering this project.
“We know there is significant benefit on the horizon, and we thank the community for their continued patience as we complete the next critical steps for this game-changing project.”
Locally manufactured recycled blocks made from a combination of natural limestone and recycled materials were used to build the retaining walls along the rail corridor to improve the project’s resource efficiency and work towards a more circular economy.
In 2023, the project generated more than 170,000 tonnes of surplus material, with 40 per cent of it reused onsite, including soil, dirt and rubble from excavation and sleepers salvaged from station demolitions that will be reused in the final design.
More than half of surplus waste (57 per cent) was sent to licensed recycling facilities for processing – of which 9 per cent was diverted to ‘roads to reuse’ suppliers to become products for civil construction – and only 3 per cent of the non-recyclable construction and office waste going to landfill.
YANCHEP EXTENSION TO SUPPORT FAST GROWTH OF NORTHERN SUBURBS
The most recent METRONET project to begin operating was the 13.8-kilometre extension of the Joondalup line from the previous last stop Butler to Yanchep, a critical piece of
suburban infrastructure that will serve the area’s current and future growth and address road congestion through enhanced connections.
Having started train services in July, the extension will also influence land use planning to deliver well-planned liveable communities, with a focus on social inequality and lower levels of opportunity for people who do not own or are unable to use a private vehicle.
By stimulating new employment opportunities in the ‘strategic centre’ of Yanchep City, the project will in the short- term help develop activity centres and support higher density land use, as well providing a 49-minute train journey to the Perth CBD.
In the long term, the extension will help move the more than 150,000 future Yanchep-Two Rocks residents expected to live in the area.
Three new stations were constructed that have modern facilities and substantial parking, with more than 900 bays at Yanchep Station, 700 bays at Alkimos, and 400 at Eglinton.
Relating to his home in the southern suburbs, Premier Cook said he knew how much a train service could change a community.
Cook said: “For the tens of thousands of people in our northern suburbs, this means fast, affordable and reliable travel to the city and beyond for the first time.
“This is what METRONET is all about – transforming suburbs, slashing travel time, reducing travel costs and creating jobs.
“METRONET is powering ahead across our suburbs, with the Yanchep extension now open and the finish line in sight for the Morley-Ellenbrook Line.”
After extensive consultation, Noongar place names were chosen for the Alkimos and Eglinton stations, while Yanchep will retain its Noongar name, which refers to native flax or bulrush reeds found in wetlands throughout the area.
Alkimos Station has been named Kyleeup, meaning the ‘place of the boomerangs, and the place name for Eglinton Station is Wilgarup, meaning ‘place of ochre’.
The extension includes three green fauna bridges – the first of their kind over rail in Western Australia – providing native wildlife a safe crossing over the rail corridor and maintaining habitat connectivity in the Ningana Bushland.
