The new Thornlie-Cockburn Line and the elevated inner-section of the Armadale Line have been officially opened, marking one of the largest milestones so far for the METRONET rail network.
The 17-kilometre Thornlie-Cockburn Line is Perth’s first east-west cross line connection. It includes new stations at Nicholson Road and Ranford Road, along with major upgrades to the Thornlie, Cockburn Central, and Perth Stadium stations.
The new line will add significant resilience to the broader rail network, while also providing a direct route from the Mandurah Line to Optus Stadium for the first time.
More than 84,000 sleepers and 180,000 tonnes of gravel were used to build the new passenger line while the existing 22-kilometre freight line had to be relocated.
Connecting to the new Thornlie-Cockburn Line will be the new eight kilometre elevated inner-section of the Armadale Line.
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Five new modern stations at Carlisle, Oats Street, Queens Park, Cannington, and Beckenham are now operational, while finishing works around the stations, including on the new activated parkland area under the elevated rail, will be completed over the coming months.
The remainder of the Armadale Line will re-open in the coming months when the new Armadale and Byford stations are complete.
Stations at Sherwood, Challis, Kelmscott, Seaforth, Gosnells, Maddington, and Kenwick will also re-open.
Speaking at the projects opening on Sunday, June 8, WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the community has seen METRONET transform the city over the past three years.
“Today, we also mark the opening of eight kilometres of elevated rail on the inner-section of the Armadale Line and five new incredible stations – all of it delivered in just 18 months,” Saffioti said.
“Later this year, we will see the completion of the Byford Rail Extension and the opening of the parkland underneath the elevated rail, continuing the incredible transformation of the Armadale Line.”
A formal reopening date for the remainder of the Armadale Line will be announced soon.
