Thornlie-Cockburn Link

We are aiming to meet the Government’s preferred completion date of 2021. The schedule will be developed by the Alliance when it is appointed in late-2019.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link will open all at once, which allows flexibility for the Alliance and is its preferred construction methodology.

We are working towards keeping construction impacts to a minimum. There will be construction vehicles in the area during construction, but the impact on the traffic conditions will be minimal.

Managing street parking is the responsibility of the local authority and outside of the Public Transport Authority’s control. We will raise these concerns with the relevant local authorities.

Current designs include about 400 parking bays at Ranford Road Station and about 1,000 parking bays at Nicholson Road Station. Ranford Road Station car park will be designed in such a way to allow for future expansion as demand for parking at the station increases.

Some bus services will be redirected from Thornlie Station to the new Nicholson Road Station and a new route will be introduced linking Nicholson Road Station with Maddington Station. Given the location along an existing high-frequency bus corridor, all passing services will be diverted into Ranford Road Station, with a number of services extended to and some lower demand services truncated and terminated at the station.

Final service details will be determined 12-18 months before operations. This will follow detailed planning and community consultation to develop a bus network which best aligns with local development and community needs.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link area includes a mix of established and developing suburbs that are experiencing significant population growth due to the availability of urban zoned land and continuing demand for affordable land, particularly from young families. South of the Thornlie-Cockburn Link is an 80.8 km2 area which currently has poor public transport services, but is estimated to grow significantly in the future.

The options analysis work completed during the business case phase, established the preferred solution for the projects.

Since then, the METRONET Office with its partner agencies and stakeholders, have completed early engineering designs, environmental and ground analysis, land use planning to inform transport infrastructure design, construction requirements and other modelling.

The result is a more detailed scope for the project, which will be used during procurement to select a contractor to deliver the work.

Extensive modelling was undertaken to estimate patronage using data sources including passenger numbers, population growth, housing density and other demographic information. Modelling was conducted through a Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage tool, the Strategic Transport Estimation Model (STEM).

All platforms will be built to a length of 150 metres accommodate six-car trains for future use. However, the four-car A-series or three-car B-series train sets will be able to meet passenger demand for day one of operations.

Yes, this project allows for a future Mandurah special event service to Stadium Station.

At this stage the station names are working project names, based on their locations. The names are subject to approval from the Geographic Naming Committee, closer to project completion.

A combined budget of $1.056 billion has been allocated to the Thornlie-Cockburn Link and Yanchep Rail Extension as a joint funding arrangement with $700 million from the Commonwealth Government and $356 million from the WA Government.

Works are expected to begin in late 2019.

It is expected the Thornlie-Cockburn Link will generate around 1,680 jobs. These will include construction works and supply chain contractors. Any WA Government roles associated with the project will be advertised on the WA Jobs Board.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link was first proposed in the South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan (April 2000). In July 2001, the then State Government announced a major change in the route to follow the alignment of the Kwinana Freeway. However, at that time a spur line from Beckenham Station to Thornlie Station was constructed and future-proofing included the accommodation of a connection to the Mandurah Line.

Yes. The freight lines will be relocated to the northern part of the rail corridor, creating enough space for the passenger lines to be built in the southern section.

This level pedestrian crossing will be replaced with a pedestrian bridge to improve safety in the area.

Some maintenance and upgrade work will be required within the Glen Iris Tunnel to accommodate for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

While there are no immediate plans to build the orbital rail line for Perth, there is the potential to do so and is factored in the early designs, including the Forrestfield-Airport Link. This planning work will occur as demand for the orbital rail line increases.

The speed limits along the freight line were reduced while Arc Infrastructure replaced sleepers along a section of the track. Once the work was complete trains were able to return to the standard speed limits. 

No. The current freight rail traffic will continue while we build the new tracks in the rail corridor.

Freight trains are required to sound horns at level crossings for safety reasons. If level crossings are removed as part of this project, freight trains will no longer be required to sound horns at these points. However, trains will still use their horns as warning if they see people in the rail corridor.

As part of the project, property condition surveys will be conducted to understand if construction activities may have any impact to nearby structures. This will also be used to track any impacts following construction.

The levels of vibration currently generated from rail operations are below any level that would cause structural damage to a building, even over a long period of time. The limits set by the Environmental Protection Authority are designed to minimise human annoyance and is 25 times below the vibration level likely to case structural damage to buildings.

As part of this project the State Government is looking to minimise vibration from the rail operations. One mitigation method to be implemented includes installing anti-vibration ballast matting under the freight and passenger rail tracks.

In the short term, the Thornlie-Cockburn Link’s new station precincts at Nicholson Road and Ranford Road will principally support access to the new rail service, including parking and bus transfer facilities, as well as improved cycle and pedestrian links to surrounding residential and employment areas.

In the medium-to-long term, the stations will be a catalyst for change in their immediate vicinity, encouraging the transformation of underutilised urban and industrial land into new transit-oriented developments.

The METRONET Office will continue to work with key stakeholders, including local government, in guiding any land planning and development to ensure the benefits of investing in good public transport are realised.

Typically when passenger rail is introduced, property values have improved.  Better transport connections have the potential to lift property values directly but they also benefit indirectly because METRONET’s integrated planning approach enables denser development, leading to more amenities such as shops and health facilities. However, it is too early at this stage to forecast how this project will impact the local area.

The station will be accessed from Canna Drive, between the Willow Pond Reception Centre and the police station.

Some roads that approach the station will be upgraded as part of this project. Changes to the network outside of the immediate project area will be managed by the local government. When appointed, the Alliance will assess the local road network, including the Nicholson Road, Garden Street and Yale Road roundabout. Details will be provided as the project progresses.

When appointed, the Alliance will work with the local council to assess the path network and determine safe connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Details will be provided as they progress.

The Nicholson Road Station design allows for future connection to development north of the rail corridor, which can be developed as demand increases. The area around the station, such as the passenger car park, may also be subject to change to support future developments.

Nicholson Road Station will be fitted with security measures that are standard at all PTA stations. This includes CCTV, lighting and clear sight lines throughout the area. In the future as development occurs around the station, passive security will also increase with the increase in activity in the area.

Ranford Road Station will be accessed from a precinct entry road, off the proposed Jandakot Airport Eastern Link Road to the south-east of the station.

Every attempt will be made to limit traffic impacts on Ranford Road. When appointed, the Alliance will assess the local road network and work with the local council to determine what, if any, changes are required to the local road network. Details will be provided as the project progresses.

Ranford Road Station will be fitted with security measures that are standard at all PTA stations. This includes CCTV, lighting and clear sight lines throughout the area. In the future as development occurs around the station, passive security will also increase with the increase in activity in the area.

Environmental and heritage considerations are a key priority for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

Investigations and surveys undertaken by specialist consultants have identified the following environmental and heritage considerations:

•     Clearing of native vegetation
•     Loss of fauna habitat
•     Disturbance of acid sulfate soils
•     Dewatering
•     Existing soil and groundwater contamination
•     Noise and vibration
•     Aboriginal heritage
•     Waste management

These will be monitored and managed accordingly by the Alliance and in consultation with the governing and regulatory authorities.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link proposal is in the final stage of the environmental approvals process, with the Environmental Protection Authority recently publishing its Report and Recommendations, which was opened for public appeal in August 2019.

The Public Transport Authority has also been working with key local environmental groups, such as the Urban Bushland Council and Friends of Ken Hurst Park.

We recognise the importance of Aboriginal heritage and a METRONET Aboriginal Engagement Strategy has been developed. Initial studies for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link identified that works, specific to duplicating the rail bridge over the Canning River, will occur within a registered Aboriginal heritage site.

Although the project impact to the Canning River is expected to be minimal, recognising the importance of this site to the Whadjuk land owners, the PTA sought the relevant approvals for the proposed works. Aboriginal monitoring personnel will be engaged to monitor initial ground works to ensure any culturally significant material if uncovered is managed appropriately.

The original development envelope of the Thornlie-Cockburn Link was reviewed to minimise the amount of vegetation clearing. For example:

• Initially around 11 hectares of the Banksia Woodland was to be cleared and through engineering reviews this was reduced to around 3 hectares;
• Initially around 41 hectares of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo foraging habitat and 176 potential habitat trees were to be cleared and this was reduced to around 23 hectares of foraging habitat and 48 potential habitat trees; and
• Caladenia Grove Wetland Reserve was avoided.

Yes. Where possible, replanting of areas with fast-growing small native shrubs and trees will occur following construction. Replanting will be limited within the rail reserve due to visibility and rail safety rules.

Larger or more mature trees are generally not replanted due to a lower success rate of uptake. To ensure the best chance for survival, the planting will be mostly of smaller, fast-growing native plants that will reach mature heights in a short timeframe.

Rehabilitation of the impacted Canning River banks will be undertaken with input sought from the local environmental community groups.

The existing rail corridor has been largely cleared of native vegetation and is maintained as an active freight rail corridor. However, some clearing will be required for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link, which requires approval under the Environmental Protection Act 1986.

Prior to vegetation clearing, all areas will undergo fauna trapping by a licenced contractor, with any captured fauna relocated to a suitable location advised by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

The appointed Alliance will prepare and implement a Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan, in accordance with the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.  The management plan will detail how potential noise and vibration impacts will be minimised. When construction commences, there will be dedicated information available for affected areas, and those impacted will receive advance notice of works.

An initial operational noise and vibration management plan has been prepared by the PTA, which has recommended a combination of up to four-metre high noise walls in certain locations and anti-vibration ballast matting under both the freight and passenger lines. The appointed Alliance will comply with the management plan of which will continue to be reviewed and updated as the designs progress.

Once appointed, the Alliance will complete relevant management plans to minimise impacts to nearby properties. Nearby property owners will also be invited to be part of a pre-condition survey. This will form part of managing any damage that may occur during construction.