With a price tag of $1.352 billion, construction on the new METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link is now progressing rapidly, with the new Nicholson Road and Ranford Road Stations 75 per cent complete and passenger rail being laid west of Ranford Road.
Around 900 workers are currently onsite daily, and track laying for the 14.5-kilometre extension from Thornlie Station to Cockburn Central is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
According to a spokesperson for METRONET, the project is still on schedule and is expected to open in mid-2025 alongside the Armadale Line, with testing set to begin soon.
“Test trains are planned for early 2025. By 2031, the number of passengers using the two stations is expected to be about 4,350,” the spokesperson said.
“Once complete, the extension will provide residents with more public transport options, help reduce road congestion and shape land use planning for future development in the area.”
Work on Nicholson Road Station commenced in September 2019, followed by on Ranford Road Station, which began in 2020.
Once complete, Nicholson Road Station will feature 1,000 parking bays, seven bus stands, and 10 EV parking bays, with predictions of 2,350 daily boardings by 2031.
Structural steel beams are now in place, roofing panels are complete, and external cladding is underway at Nicholson Road Station.
Ranford Road Station is expected to have 1,985 daily boardings, feature 400 parking bays, 12 bus stands, and ten electric vehicle charging bays, providing a 29-minute journey to the city.
Thornlie Station, which opened in August 2005, will be upgraded with platform extensions to accommodate six-car trains, feature ten electric vehicle bays, and include a new bridge concourse.
However, the car park capacity will slightly decrease as a small number of parking bays will be removed to accommodate the longer station platforms.
Thornlie MLA Chris Tallentire said he is pleased with how the project is being managed and believes the loss of some car park bays at Thornlie station won’t be an issue.
“The new stations will take the pressure off Thornlie station and we actually want people to consider more efficient means of getting to the stations, including walking, cycling, scooting or local bus service,” he said.
“There are always going to be moments of understandable anxiety caused by a project of this scale, but everyone can see the results.”
Last year, about 11 kilometres of new freight track was installed on the northern side of the rail corridor between the Kwinana Freeway, Jandakot, and the Spencer Road Bridge, clearing space on the southern side for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link passenger line.
Local member for Southern River Terry Healy commented on this development at the time, highlighting the potential impact the new train line will have on the community.
“The METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link is a fantastic project that will connect thousands of people living between the Mandurah and Armadale lines to our world-class rail network,” Mr Healy said.
“This is a growing area and currently a gap in our rail network, so delivering this new link will ensure communities have access to high-quality public transport.
The Thornlie train line originally stemmed from plans for the Mandurah line to branch off and connect to the Armadale line, but this proposal was scrapped in 2001, resulting in the tunnels constructed for the connection being left unused.
Now, the tunnels built in the early 2000s are finally being utilised for the project, significantly reducing costs, including the 200-metre ‘Glen Iris’ tunnel in Jandakot, which runs beneath the freeway to connect to the Mandurah line in the median.
On the eastern side of the Thornlie Line, the train tunnel beneath Roe and Albany Highway has always been operational; however, a parallel tunnel, which has remained unused for over 20 years, is also now being prepared for operation.
Services on the Thornlie and Armadale lines have been suspended since November 20, 2023, with plans to recommence in mid-2025.
