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The Belmont Railway Line was a branch railway in Western Australia that extended from the Eastern Railway at Bayswater to cross the Swan River to Belmont near the Ascot Racecourse. The line closed in 1956.
The line was also known as the Belmont Spur line, [1] Belmont Branch, and Perth Racecourse Railway. [2] [3]
In November 1885 a 65 chains (1.3 km) branch line was constructed from the Eastern Railway at Bayswater across the Swan River to the Perth Race Course, improving access to the Race Course. [4] Initially a ferry service across the Swan River was provided for racegoers travelling to and from the Race Course by train, [5] which was replaced by a narrow footbridge by 1891. [6]
The branch line's construction immediately spawned proposals to construct a railway linking the Eastern Railway at Bayswater (via the branch line) to areas south of Perth, including Canning, Kelmscott, Woongong, Pinjarra, Bunbury, and Busselton. [7] The various proposals were abandoned following the announcement of the construction of the South Western Railway in 1891 which provided a more direct route bridging the Swan River further to the south. [8]
The Perth Racecourse Railway Act 1896, an act by the Parliament of Western Australia assented to on 27 October 1896, authorised the construction of the railway line from Bayswater. [9]
In 1897 the line was extended across the Swan River, and a new station built on the southern side of the Race Course. [10] [11] The new station was opened on 21 October 1897. [12] The railway service to Belmont was suspended in 1926 following floods. [13]
Consideration of closing the railway had been publicly discussed as early as 1930. There was a proposal to convert the rail bridge over the Swan River to a road bridge, however this never happened. Instead, the Garratt Road Bridge opened nearby in 1935. [14] [15]
In the mid-1930s, the Bayswater Road Board asked the Main Roads Department to construct a subway at Guildford Road to replace the existing level crossing. The Bayswater Road Board considered the level crossing, named Whatley Crossing to be one of the most dangerous level crossings in the area. The subway was never constructed. [16] [17] [18]
The Belmont branch line was closed in 1956 following a fire on the bridge crossing the Swan River, and the bridge, line and stations were removed in 1957. [19] [20] The Belmont Branch Railway Discontinuance and Land Revestment Act 1956, assented to on 7 December 1956, authorised the closure of the line. [21]
The Swan River is a major river in the southwest of Western Australia. The river runs through the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia's capital and largest city.
The City of Bayswater is a local government area in the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about 7 kilometres (4 mi) northeast of Perth's central business district. The city covers an area of 34.6 square kilometres (13.4 sq mi) and had a population of 69,283 as at the 2021 Census. The City of Bayswater is a member of the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council.
The City of Belmont is a local government area in the inner eastern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) east of Perth's central business district on the south bank of the Swan River. The City covers an area of 39.8 square kilometres (15.4 sq mi), maintains 225 km of roads and had a population of almost 40,000 as at the 2016 Census.]
Great Eastern Highway is a 590-kilometre-long (370 mi) road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields, it is the western portion of the main road link between Perth and the eastern states of Australia. The highway forms the majority of National Highway 94, although the alignment through the Perth suburbs of Guildford and Midland, and the eastern section between Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie are not included. Various segments form parts of other road routes, including National Route 1, Alternative National Route 94, and State Route 51.
The Midland line is a suburban rail service on the Transperth network in Perth, Western Australia. It runs on the Eastern Railway through Perth's eastern suburbs and connects Midland with Perth. Travelling from Midland, the trains terminate at Fremantle on the Fremantle line.
Ascot Racecourse is the major racecourse in Perth, Western Australia, situated approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the Perth central business district, with the headquarters of the Perth Racing positioned directly opposite.
Mount Lawley railway station is 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) from Perth railway station, in Western Australia, on the Midland Line and Airport line on the Transperth commuter rail network.
Maylands railway station is a suburban rail station in Maylands, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Midland and Airport lines, between Mount Lawley station and Meltham station. Maylands stationis 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi), or eight minutes by train, from Perth station. Services on each line run every 12 minutes during peak and every 15 minutes between peak for a combined frequency of a train every 6 minutes during peak and every 7.5 minutes outside peak.
Bayswater railway station is a suburban rail station in Bayswater, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is the junction station for Transperth's Midland and Airport lines, and the Morley–Ellenbrook line when it opens in late 2024.
Burswood is an inner southeastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located immediately across the Swan River from Perth's central business district (CBD). Its local government area is the Town of Victoria Park. Burswood is the location of the State Tennis Centre, Perth Stadium, Belmont Park Racecourse, and the Crown Perth casino and hotel complex.
Embleton is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north-east of the central business district, between the suburbs of Morley and Bayswater. Its local government area is the City of Bayswater.
Tonkin Highway is an 81-kilometre-long (50 mi) north–south highway and partial freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth Airport and Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-eastern suburbs. As of April 2020, the northern terminus is at the interchange with Brand Highway and Great Northern Highway in Muchea, and the southern terminus is at Thomas Road in Oakford. It forms the entire length of State Route 4, and connects to several major roads. Besides Brand Highway and Great Northern Highway, it also connects to Reid Highway, Great Eastern Highway, Leach Highway, Roe Highway, and Albany Highway.
The South Western Railway, also known as the South West Main Line, is the main railway route between Perth and Bunbury in Western Australia.
Bayswater is a suburb 6 kilometres (4 mi) north-east of the central business district (CBD) of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is just north of the Swan River, within the City of Bayswater local government area. It is predominantly a low-density residential suburb consisting of single-family detached homes. However, there are several clusters of commercial buildings, most notably in the suburb's town centre, around the intersection of Whatley Crescent and King William Street and a light industrial area in the suburb's east.
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 seven Transperth suburban rail lines and 79 stations.
Guildford Road is a major road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburb of Mount Lawley with Guildford in the north-east. The ten-kilometre-long (6.2 mi) road runs mostly parallel to the Swan River, on its northern side, and is part of State Route 51, which runs between Perth's CBD and Midvale. Guildford Road is maintained and controlled by Main Roads Western Australia, which uses the internal designation "H026 Guildford Road" for Guildford Road, as well as Bridge Street and James Street in Guildford. In the 1930s, the name Great Eastern Highway was coined to describe the road, but was actually used for the road on the other side of the Swan River.
Garratt Road Bridge consists of two adjacent bridges over the Swan River, linking the suburbs of Bayswater and Ascot in Perth, Western Australia. The upstream bridge was built in 1935, while the matching downstream bridge was built in 1972. The site was significant prior to the construction of Garratt Road Bridge – it featured in Aboriginal mythology, and was in the near vicinity of 1880s bridges for pedestrians and trains accessing Ascot Racecourse. From that time there were various proposal to provide a vehicular crossing between Bayswater and Bassendean. Interest peaked in 1928, but plans were delayed due to the Great Depression. The first bridge, designed by Main Roads Chief Engineer Ernest Godfrey, was constructed in 1934–35. It allowed two lanes of traffic to cross the Swan River, alongside pedestrians on an adjacent footbridge.
The Morley–Ellenbrook line is an under construction suburban railway line and service in Perth, Western Australia, which will be operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The line branches from the Midland line at Bayswater station and heads north-north-west to serve five new stations along a 21.3-kilometre (13.2 mi) route to Ellenbrook. Morley–Ellenbrook line services will continue west of Bayswater station alongside Midland and Airport line services to terminate at Perth station in the central business district.
The Bayswater Subway was a road under rail subway in Perth, Western Australia. It was located immediately west of Bayswater railway station, and carried King William Street / Coode Street beneath the Midland line. The subway was demolished in April 2023 as part of Metronet's rebuild of Bayswater station.
| Main lines | |
|---|---|
| Goldfields–Esperance | |
| Great Southern | |
| Mid West | |
| Peel | |
| Pilbara | |
| Perth | |
| South West | |
| Wheatbelt |
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| Tourist & heritage railways | |
| Timber railway lines | |
| Trams & tramways | |
| Approved by Parliament but not constructed | |
^† Denotes railway is closed, partially closed or has been removedSee also: Agricultural railways ♦ Wheatbelt railways | |
