Testing and commissioning of Perth’s Forrestfield-Airport Link has entered its final stages, and driver training has begun.
With this landmark reached, Metronet has announced that operations will begin on 9 October.
Tunnelling for the project was completed in April 2020, followed closely by the start of tracklaying in July of the same year.
The Airport Line, as it will be known, is the first passenger rail line to Perth Airport and will offer passengers in the east and foothills of Perth increased transport options thanks to three new stations.
These are Redcliffe, Airport Central and High Wycombe.
The new line will also be supported by an upgraded bus network. An additional 26 buses and 1.7 million annual bus service kilometres will be added to the Transperth network.
During its first year of service, it’s forecast that an average of 20,000 journeys will be made on the new line each day, increasing to 29,000 over the next 10 years.
This project, valued at 1.86 billion AUD (1.28bn EUR | 1.3bn USD), was funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments.
It’s one of the biggest and most complex transport infrastructure projects undertaken by the state of Western Australia, including the delivery of an 8.5-kilometre rail tunnel that travels underneath the Swan River.
“Our Government is partnering with the McGowan Government to deliver billions of dollars of upgrades and improvements to road and rail projects around Western Australia, creating and supporting thousands of local jobs.
“As a former infrastructure minister, I know how important access to affordable and accessible public transport is and I'm really pleased this important Metronet project will start operating later this year.”
