1979–1983 Fremantle railway line closure

Last updated

Plaques in Perth Station commemorating the closure and re-opening of the Fremantle railway line Perth station plaques commemorating re-opening of Fremantle railway.jpg
Plaques in Perth Station commemorating the closure and re-opening of the Fremantle railway line

The railway passenger service between Perth and Fremantle was closed from 2 September 1979 to 29 July 1983 by the Charles Court government of Western Australia.

Contents

The closure was deeply unpopular and became a key campaign issue in the 1982 state government election. Following a change of government, passenger services resumed on 29 July 1983. The re-opening of the railway was the beginning of a shift in metropolitan transport policy that saw bipartisan support for the revitalisation and expansion of Perth's passenger railway system. [1] [2] The campaign against the closure of the railway was led by Peter Newman, a local Government councillor and environmental scientist.

Background

Fremantle railway line at southern side of Fremantle railway bridge Fremantle railway line at southern side of rail bridge.jpg
Fremantle railway line at southern side of Fremantle railway bridge

Perth’s passenger rail services were believed to have been in serious decline throughout the 1960s and 1970s with reports of passenger numbers falling as commuters switched from public transport to cars and employment moved out of the central city. Calls by various stakeholders for investment in the electrification of the system had been ignored. [3]

The 1955 Stephenson-Hepburn Plan had recommended the expansion of the existing rail network into the northern suburbs, however this recommendation was not implemented in the 1963 Metropolitan Region Scheme. [4] Commencing with the 1970 Corridor Plan, successive government reports throughout the 1970s had recommended the closure of the existing rail lines and their replacement with bus services, [5] [6] but these recommendations were not acted on by the government at the time. [7]

Successive state governments had reduced investment in both passenger and freight rail services over the same period of time with the Court government accelerating the closure of regional services in the late 1970s. This included Albany and Mullewa passenger services in 1976 and 1978 respectively and various freighting services over the same period. Dependent as they were on aging railway stock (some of which dated to the 1930s), passenger rail services were relatively uncomfortable and attracted a declining ridership. [8]

As the rolling stock neared the end of its lifespan, the government of the day was required to consider either a substantial capital works program, or the cessation of passenger services entirely. John Knox, appointed to the Department of Transport in the early 1970s was a key player in the process of consolidating and closing rail services. [4] When the closure of the railway was mooted in 1975, 40,000 people signed a petition against it. [9] It was again proposed by the Minister for Transport in October 1977, [10] however Charles Court went to the 1977 state election with a promise to keep the line open.

Announcement of closure (May 1979 – September 1979)

Following an overseas investigation, George Shea, head of the Metropolitan Transport Trust reach the view that electrification of the railway was unviable in a City of less than 3 million residents and recommended as such to the government. [11] In May 1979, the Court government announced the imminent cessation of passenger railway services along the Fremantle line and the replacement of public transport services with a fleet of articulated buses. Some rolling stock was to be transferred to the Armadale and Midland lines, with a review of the closure to occur within three years.

Article from Athol Thomas, The Canberra Times' West Australian correspondent on 2 February 1979 supporting the government decision to close the railway. 1979 02 04 Canberra Times Diehard sentimentalists lose their battle.JPG
Article from Athol Thomas, The Canberra Times ' West Australian correspondent on 2 February 1979 supporting the government decision to close the railway.

The justification for the cessation of the railway service was that it was uneconomic, inefficient and inflexible in comparison to equivalent bus services. The government pointed to declining passenger numbers and an increase in the annual cost of providing rail services in comparison to buses. The Minister for Transport was quoted as saying it was "futile" to oppose the decision.

The decision was applauded in some quarters [9] and was supported by most transportation experts, but was met with immediate community and local government opposition. Academic and local government councillor Peter Newman and 11 others formed the Friends of the Railways advocacy group for the purpose of opposing the government policy.

Within three months of formation, the Friends of the Railway had 400 members. [12] By May, Friends of the Railway, led by Liberal member for Subiaco Tom Dadour, [11] had gathered 100,000 signatures on a petition against the closure and prepared a detailed report rebutting arguments in favour of the railway closure and laying out an alternative proposal for the electrification of the system. This garnered widespread media coverage and as protests grew, comparisons were made to the community opposition around the demolition of the Pensioners Barracks. [13] Under pressure from the community and local governments (including Fremantle and Subiaco) the Minister for Transport announced he would review the submission and present it before cabinet. The Minister requested additional information from Friends of the Railway, which they provide by June.

Pressure continued to grow, with the Sunday Independent reporting market research that found 80% of metropolitan voters were against the closure, including 70% of voters who voted Liberal in the last election. [12] Friends of the Railways sought permission from the government to take surveys of passengers on the railways, but the request was denied.

On 27 July, the alternative transport proposal was formally rejected by cabinet and the government reiterated its intention to closure the railway on 2 September. This leads to a formal request in August from the railway unions for a parliamentary inquiry, which was denied.

On 6 August, Friends of the Railway was the recipient of leaked internal documents from Westrail. These documents indicated that the Department of Transport had suppressed reports suggesting that electrification of the line was viable. This contradicted the position of the government. [4] The Minister initially denied the existence of the report, before acknowledging it the next day when photographic evidence was printed by the Daily News .

On 17 August, it was alleged that the Government disrupted a public Friends of the Railway meeting at the Cottesloe Civic Centre by bussing in Liberal party members to stifle debate. [12] [4]

Later in August, a public protest of up to 3000 people marched through Perth and the closure was debated extensively in the Legislative council with the government alleging that “subversive” actors were funding Friends of the Railway, and the opposition accusing the government of a “systematic dismantling” of railway services. [14] In their defence, the government claimed to be investing in rail along the Armadale and Midland lines, but that the Fremantle line lacked the population density to support the services.

Closure (September 1979 – July 1983)

The government maintained their decision to close the railway in the face of community opposition. On 1 September an estimated 1200 people turned out to watch the last train to Fremantle. The following day, public transport services were replaced by 17 articulated buses.

Despite widespread cross-political dissatisfaction with the railway closure the government justified the policy as part of an overall investment in public transport and promised that it would be subject to review with three years. The continuation of freight services ensured that the railway line remained operational and so, in spite of a clear swing to Labor, the government won the 1980 election. [15]

Over the next three years, the replacement bus services failed to attract comparable passenger numbers to the closed railway line. Peter Newman suggests a decline of around 30%. [4] Later reports found total passenger numbers on the rail network bottoming out at 58 million during this time period. [16] [17]

In 1982, following the review of the closure, the government released Transport 2000: A Perth Study. This report reaffirmed the government policy and recommended that the Fremantle line remained closed. [18]

With the government taking a firm position on the railway closure the Opposition under Brian Burke promised to reopen the line if Labor won the election.

Change of government and re-opening (1983)

The Labor opposition won the 1983 state government election, entering government for the first time since 1974. In May of the same year Cabinet agreed to honour their election commitment to reopen the Fremantle railway.

On 29 July 1983, [19] [20] the Fremantle rail reopened with passenger numbers restored to their pre-1979 levels. At this point the infrastructure and rolling stock was in such a poor state that the government was compelled to investigate the immediate electrification of the entire line, a program that commenced in 1986 and concluded in 1991. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadale line</span> Suburban rail line in Perth, Western Australia

The Armadale line is a suburban railway service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Armadale line is 30.4 kilometres (18.9 mi) long, and starts at Perth station, heading south-east of there to serve Perth's south-eastern suburbs, terminating at Armadale station.

The Fremantle line is a suburban railway and service in Western Australia that connects the central business district (CBD) of Perth with Fremantle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadale railway station, Perth</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Armadale railway station is located on the South Western Railway, 30 kilometres from Perth station serving the suburb of Armadale, Brookdale and Haynes. It is the terminating point for Transperth Armadale line services and a calling point for Transwa Australind services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandurah line</span> Commuter rail line in Perth, Western Australia

The Mandurah line is a commuter railway and service on the Transperth network in Western Australia that runs from Perth south to the state's second largest city Mandurah. The service is operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the Public Transport Authority. The line is 70.1 kilometres (43.6 mi) long and has 12 stations. At its northern end, the line begins as a continuation of the Joondalup line at Perth Underground, and ends as a continuation of the Joondalup line at Elizabeth Quay. The first 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) of the line is underground, passing under the Perth central business district. The line surfaces and enters the median of the Kwinana Freeway just north of the Swan River. It continues south down the freeway's median for 30 kilometres (19 mi), before veering south-west towards Rockingham. The final stretch of the line goes south from Rockingham to Mandurah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daglish railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Daglish railway station is a commuter railway station on the boundary of Daglish and Subiaco, suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Opened on 14 July 1924, the station was named after Henry Daglish, who had been a mayor of Subiaco, a member for the electoral district of Subiaco, and a premier of Western Australia in the 1900s. Daglish was a resident of Subiaco for 22 years before he died in 1920. The station consists of an island platform accessed by a pedestrian underpass. Two small buildings are on the platform which operated as a parcels office and ticket office until 1970. The station is only partially accessible due to a steep access ramp and lack of tactile paving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subiaco railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Subiaco railway station is a railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. It is located on the Fremantle line and Airport line, 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) from Perth station serving the suburbs of Subiaco and Wembley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremantle railway station</span> Railway station in Fremantle, Western Australia

Fremantle railway station is the terminus of Transperth's Fremantle line in Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cottesloe railway station</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Cottesloe railway station is a railway station on the Transperth network. It is located on the Fremantle line, 12.4 kilometres from Perth station serving the suburbs of Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremont railway station, Perth</span> Railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Claremont railway station is a railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. It is located on the Fremantle and Airport lines, 9.3 kilometres from Perth station serving the suburb of Claremont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Australian Government Railways</span> Former government railway commission in Western Australia

Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsibility for tram and ferry operations that it assumed and later relinquished. Westrail was the trading name of WAGR from September 1975 until December 2000, when the WAGR's freight division and the Westrail name and logo were privatised. Its freight operations were privatised in December 2000 with the remaining passenger operations transferred to the Public Transport Authority in July 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Western Australia</span>

Railways in Western Australia were developed in the 19th century both by the Government of Western Australia and a number of private companies. Today passenger rail services are controlled by the Public Transport Authority through Transperth, which operates public transport in Perth, and Transwa, which operates country passenger services. Journey Beyond operates the Indian Pacific.

The Northern Suburbs Transit System is the name given to the project initiated and funded by the Government of Western Australia to provide high-speed passenger rail services to the northern corridor of metropolitan Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. The project was commenced by the Dowding Labor government in the late 1980s, and its main feature project was the Joondalup railway line and linked bus services, which have been a core component of the Transperth transport network since the line's opening to passengers on 21 March 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Australia</span>

The earliest trams in Australia operated in the latter decades of the 19th century, hauled by horses or "steam tram motors". At the turn of the 20th century, propulsion almost universally turned to electrification, although cable trams lingered in Melbourne. In cities and towns that had trams, they were a major part of public transport assets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railways in Perth</span> Public transport system serving Perth, Western Australia

Railways in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, have existed since 1881, when the Eastern Railway was opened between Fremantle and Guildford. Today, Perth has six Transperth commuter rail lines and 74 stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transperth</span> Public transport system serving Perth, Western Australia

Transperth is the public transport system for Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation, and consists of train, bus and ferry services. Bus operations are contracted out to Swan Transit, Path Transit and Transdev. Ferry operations are contracted out to Captain Cook Cruises. Train operations are done by the PTA through their Transperth Train Operations division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Transport Trust</span> Former public transport provider in Western Australia

The Metropolitan (Perth) Passenger Transport Trust was a statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia from 1958 to 2003. From 1958 to the mid-1990s, it operated bus and ferry services within the Perth metropolitan area. From 1974 to 1993, it managed suburban rail services within the Perth metropolitan area as well, contracting the operation of those services to Westrail.

<i>Corridor Plan for Perth</i> 1970 plan for Perth, Western Australia

The 1970 Corridor Plan for Perth provided a strategic framework for planning the growth of the metropolitan region of Perth, Western Australia. The plan superseded the 1955 Plan for the Metropolitan Region and established the principles on which the Metropolitan Regional Planning Authority would consider amendments to the Metropolitan Region Scheme. In contrast to the earlier plan, the Corridor Plan was not a detailed spatial plan of the entire metropolitan area. Instead it was intended to provide a policy framework for the detailed structure planning of each of the four proposed corridors. Initially it was controversial; the government of the day instigated both an independent review and an Honorary Royal Commission into the plan before adopting a modified version. A second review of the plan was completed in 1987, followed by the preparation and adoption of the 1990 Metroplan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leighton railway station</span> Former railway station in Perth, Western Australia, 1922–1991

Leighton Station was a railway station on the Transperth network in Perth, Western Australia. It was located on the Fremantle line around 15.7 kilometres (9.8 mi) from Perth, serving the Fremantle suburb of North Fremantle.

References

  1. ↑ De Polini, Gian (19 February 2019). "Public backlash to closure of Fremantle line In 1979 still among biggest in WA history". ABC News. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  2. ↑ Stone, John (17 November 2009). "Contrasts in Reform: How the Cain and Burke Years Shaped Public Transport in Melbourne and Perth". Urban Policy and Research. 27 (4): 419–434. doi:10.1080/08111140903342411. hdl: 1959.3/213832 . S2CID   154178391.
  3. ↑ "WA workers' railway plans". Tribune. 2 October 1972. p. 12. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Newman, Peter (2012) The Perth Rail transformation: some political lessons learned Archived 28 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine . Light Rail 2011 Conference, 6 April, Sydney.
  5. ↑ Director General of Transport Western Australia. (1976). Public Transport in Perth Region A Review Paper for the Minister for Transport
  6. ↑ Director General of Transport Western Australia. (1978). Development of the Public Transport System in the Perth Metropolitan Region 1978/79 to 1982/83. Perth: Department of Transport Western Australia.
  7. ↑ Sturup, Sophie (2018). "Infrastructure Misadventures". Australia's Metropolitan Imperative: An Agenda for Governance Reform. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN   9781486307975.
  8. ↑ Committee for Perth (June 2011) 'What we thought would kill us' Case Study 2: The Evolution of Perth's Passenger Rail System Archived 29 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1 2 Thomas, Athol (4 February 1979). "Diehard sentimentalists lose their battle". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Athol (24 October 1979). "Perth opting for arteries of bitumen rather than steel". The Canberra Times. p. 2. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  11. 1 2 Kennedy, Peter (2014). Tales from Boomtown. Crawley: University of Western Australia. p. 77.
  12. 1 2 3 Western Australia, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 29 August 1979, pages 2362–2418 [ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ Thomas, Athol (21 June 1979). "Battle begins anew Friends of the Railway try to save the Perth to Fremantle line". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  14. ↑ Hansard. Legislative Council. 29 August 1979.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Athol (4 February 1980). "WA Election Result, a vote for the status quo despite a swing to Labor". The Canberra Times.
  16. ↑ Annual Report 2008/09 (PDF). Public Transport Authority. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2020. It bounced as high as 70.6 million in 1972/73 and bottomed out around 58 million in 1982/83 (when the Fremantle Line was closed).
  17. ↑ McKenna, Kevin (1982), "The effects of rail closure on passenger travel patterns: a case study of the Perth/ Fremantle line", Economic Activity, 25 (Apr 1982): 34–39, retrieved 21 June 2023
  18. ↑ Western Australia. Office of the Director General of Transport (1982), Transport 2000 : a Perth study, Director General of Transport, ISBN   978-0-7244-9182-7
  19. ↑ "Our history". Public Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  20. ↑ "20th anniversary of re-opening of Perth to Fremantle passenger rail line". Media Statements. 29 July 2003. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  21. ↑ Steering Committee of Inquiry into the Electrification of the Perth Suburban Passenger Railways (W.A.); Western Australia. Dept. of Transport; Western Australia. Office of the Co-ordinator General of Transport (1985), Inquiry into the electrification of Perth's suburban railways : report of the Steering Committee to the Minister for Transport, Co-ordinator General of Transport, retrieved 21 June 2023
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.