Opening date revealed for the METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link

Opening date locked in for $1.86B METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link — Courtesy of the Western Australian and Federal governments.

The opening date has been set for Western Australia’s $1.86 billion METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link.

The project is set to begin operations on 9 October 2022. The METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link, to be known as the Airport Line when it opens, is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments and will be the first passenger rail line to Perth Airport.

The project will deliver three new train stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central and High Wycombe, increasing public transport options for Perth’s eastern suburbs. This will support domestic and international tourism by improving access between the city and Perth Airport and create new residential and commercial opportunities around Redcliffe and High Wycombe Stations.

It’s anticipated an average of 20,000 passenger trips will be made each day on the new rail line in its first year of service, increasing to 29,000 by 2032.

The Airport Line will be supported by an enhanced bus network connecting surrounding suburbs to the new train stations, adding an additional 26 new buses to the network, as well as 1.7 million annual bus service kilometres to the Transperth network.

Contracts have also been awarded for the next stage of works on the METRONET: Byford Rail Extension and Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal projects, which are jointly funded by the Australian and WA Governments.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said the opening marks an important milestone for the METRONET expansion of Perth’s public transport network.

“The METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link will be a game-changer for people in Perth’s eastern suburbs,” he said.

“METRONET is providing the infrastructure our suburbs need, reducing congestion on our roads and delivering thousands of jobs right across Perth.”

WA Transport, Planning and Ports Minister Rita Saffioti said the project would increase public transport options for the region.

“The METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link has been one of the biggest and most complex public transport infrastructure projects our State has ever undertaken, including the delivery of an 8.5-kilometre rail tunnel that travels underneath the Swan River,” Saffioti said.

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