PROJECT REPORT
MORE THAN JUST CONNECTING THE DOTS ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE LOOKS AT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OVERCOME IN DELIVERING THE THORNLIE-COCKBURN LINK, PERTH’S FIRST EAST-WEST RAIL CONNECTION JOINING TWO EXISTING TRAIN LINES AND ADDING TWO NEW STATIONS FOR RESIDENTS IN SOUTH-EASTERN SUBURBS.
Artist’s impression of the future Ranford Road Station.
W
hen the Thornlie-Cockburn Link, the new passenger rail being delivered by METRONET between Thornlie and Cockburn stations in Perth, gets completed in 2024, it will be Perth’s first east-west rail connection that joins two existing train lines. But that’s not the only first the project will be delivering. The east-west rail connection linking the Mandurah Line with the Thornlie/Armadale lines will also, for the first time, allow residents in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs to catch the train to Optus Stadium, without needing to transfer through the Perth CBD. Since the award of contract to the
NEWest Alliance – consisting of CPB Contractors, the Downer Group and the Public Transport Authority – in December 2019, the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link has also reached a number of milestones, including installing the state’s largest pre-cast concrete tee-roff bridge beams for the new Ranford Road Bridge in May 2021. SCOPE OF PROJECT Looking at the Perth passenger rail network, it’s easy to see why an eastwest connection between the existing north-south train lines makes sense. The radial design of the current passenger rail network creates gaps for residents in the Canning Vale, Cannington Strategic
Metropolitan Centre, Burswood Peninsula and the eastern CBD. It also does not account for the expected growth in the region, where up to 102,860 people are expected to live by 2026, up from only about 72,000 in 2016. With affordable, urban-zoned land available, Perth’s south-eastern suburbs are expected to grow significantly. The area is also home to major industrial/ commercial areas and prominent sporting clubs, such as the Australian Baseball League’s Perth Heat club based at Baseball Park (officially known as Perth HarleyDavidson Ballpark) in Thornlie. The 17.5-kilometre Thornlie-Cockburn Link will duplicate three kilometres of track between Beckenham and Thornlie stations, roadsonline.com.au
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