The Kwinana freight railway lines are a network of railways predominantly servicing the heavy industrial areas at Kwinana Beach south of Perth and to provide for the transport of freight servicing Fremantle Harbour, Kewdale Intermodal Facility and other freight destinations in Perth. While some lines were constructed in the 1900s, most of the network was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s.
Arc Infrastructure leases the majority of the network, with the exception of privately owned spur lines.
The Kwinana and Forrestfield freight rail network comprises several sections of lines including sections which have now been closed, existing and proposed, which are described below.
After 1898 the Fremantle railway line terminated at Robbs Jetty in North Coogee. On 1 July 1903 the line was extended south along the coast to Coogee servicing Woodman Point.: [1] [2] On 19 December 1955 the line was extended to Kwinana [3] to provide a rail service to the Kwinana Oil Refinery [4]
The line was made redundant by the later construction of the freight line further east, and on 16 September 1973 the section between Coogee and Naval Base (north of the Alcoa refinery) was closed. [5] The section between Robbs Jetty and Coogee closed in February 1986. [1]
A line between Robbs Jetty and Jandakot (including Spearwood) was opened in 1906, and the line was extended to Armadale in 1907 as a means of providing transport for agricultural goods in the Forrestdale area to Fremantle Harbour. [1]
With the construction of a new railway line between Kewdale and Cockburn, the Jandakot to Armadale section closed on 23 January 1964, followed by Bibra Lake to Jandakot on 6 June 1966. [6] [7] The Spearwood to Bibra Lake section was retained to serve CBH Group and Elders Limited sidings until it too closed in 1991. [1]
The section between Robbs Jetty and Spearwood remains in use today.
A branch line was constructed off the Robbs Jetty–Armadale line at Spearwood to link with the Cockburn Cement plant in Munster in 1961. [8]
The line now forms part of the main freight line between Kwinana and Fremantle.
A freight railway was constructed between the Midland line west of the Midland Junction railway station and the Armadale line at Welshpool in 1957. [9] The line provided access to the Kewdale Intermodal Facility - a major (if not the main) rail freight terminal in Perth.
The section between Kewdale and Welshpool is now closed. The rest of the line was replaced in 1968 by a new route to the east of the new Forrestfield Marshalling Yard.
Prior to the 1960s, the majority of railways constructed in Western Australia were built at narrow gauge, with the exception of the standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway linking Western Australia with South Australia at Kalgoorlie. In 1961 the Western Australian Government passed the Railways (Standard Gauge) Construction Act 1961 to construct a standard gauge railway between Perth and Kalgoorlie to facilitate the movement of interstate freight. [10]
The following new railways were constructed and existing railways upgraded to dual gauge, with construction complete by 3 August 1968 [11] [12]
The railways constructed and upgraded under the Railways (Standard Gauge) Construction Act 1961 form the backbone of the freight railway network in Perth.
The Kwinana Loop Railway is railway branching from the main line at Kwinana first constructed under the Industrial Lands (Kwinana) Railway Act 1966 and later extended to the CBH Group terminal under the Kwinana Loop Railway Act 1968 with a balloon loop at the terminus. The southern portion has not been constructed, and access to the Loop Railway is reliant upon the triangle intersection at Kwinana.
The Department of Transport has identified the Kwinana triangle is now approaching capacity, and it is seeking alternatives in order to ensure that future growth in rail-hauled freight can be accommodated. Completion of the southern portion of the Kwinana Loop as planned, between the CBH balloon loop and the Kwinana–Mundijong line, is an option being considered. [13]
In December 2015 the City of Rockingham publicised its objection to the reinstatement of the extension of the loop railway. [14]
The Kwinana–Mundijong line was constructed to connect Kwinana with the South Western Railway. The line also extended to Jarrahdale and one of the main purposes of the line was to transport bauxite between Jarrahdale and Alcoa's Naval Base refinery. [15]
The Kwinana–Mundijong line is one of the few narrow gauge lines in the network.
In 2006 the government commenced an investigation for the development of an intermodal freight terminal in the Kwinana area, and in 2007 a preferred site was identified in the Latitude 32 industrial area at Hope Valley/Wattleup. Planning is progressing for the intermodal terminal. [16]
The Shire of Serpentine–Jarrahdale has adopted a structure plan for future urban in the Mundijong/Whitby district. The South Western Railway bisects the district, and one of the key components of the structure plan is the relocation of the freight rail along the western perimeter of the structure plan area. The relocation is intended to free up land for the construction of a new passenger rail terminus on the Armadale Line near the point where the Kwinana–Mundijong line joins the South Western Railway, servicing a proposed town centre at Whitby. [17]
The relocated rail will run through the proposed West Mundijong Industrial Area, on the western side of the future Tonkin Highway alignment. There is a possibility an intermodal freight facility will be located along the relocated freight railway [18]
The possibility of realigning the Midland freight rail line was first identified in the Midland Revitalisation Charette held in 1997, as a means to reduce the impact of ‘wheel squeal’ for residents in the Woodbridge area. An alignment linking to the existing Eastern Railway east of Midland and joining the Midland Junction-Kewdale line south of Woodbridge has been identified. [19]
The Fremantle line is a suburban railway and service in Western Australia that connects the central business district (CBD) of Perth with Fremantle.
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly is elected from 59 single-member electoral districts. These districts are often referred to as electorates or seats.
Thornlie railway station is on the Transperth network. It is the terminus of the Thornlie line, a spur of the Armadale Line, seventeen kilometres (11 mi) from Perth Station serving the suburb of Thornlie, Western Australia. Under construction is the Thornlie-Cockburn Link which will link to Cockburn Central railway station along the Mandurah line via two new stations, Nicholson Road railway station and Ranford Road railway station.
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.
Woodman Point is a headland on the west coast of Western Australia. It is located in the Perth suburb of Coogee, 22 km (14 mi) south-south-west of the city centre and 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Fremantle. It extends westward into the Indian Ocean. The coastal waters immediately to the north of the point are known as Owen Anchorage, while to the south is Jervoise Bay. Woodman Point marks the northern extent of Cockburn Sound.
Rockingham railway station is a railway station in Rockingham, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Mandurah railway line, which is part of the Transperth commuter rail network. It has two side platforms, linked by a pedestrian overpass accessed by stairs, a lift, and escalators. Services run every 10 minutes during peak, and every 15 minutes between peak. The journey to Perth railway station is 43.2 kilometres (26.8 mi), and takes 34 minutes. The journey to Mandurah railway station is 27.6 kilometres (17.1 mi), and takes 17 minutes. The station has a bus interchange with twelve bus stands, and 14 regular bus routes.
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 South Western Railway, also known as the South West Main Line, is the main railway route between Perth and Bunbury in Western Australia.
The Sunday Football League Western Australia, commonly known as the Sunday Football League (SFL), is a defunct semi-professional Australian rules football league that was based in the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The League was in operation from 1984 to 2008, and Kenwick Royals was the most successful club with eight senior team premierships.
Armadale Road is a major road in the south and south east of the Perth Metropolitan Area. It serves three purposes: firstly, providing a main route from Armadale to Fremantle; secondly, connecting Armadale to the Kwinana Freeway; and thirdly, since 2005, connecting it to the Tonkin Highway which ferries traffic to the eastern suburbs, Perth Airport and the Forrestfield and Kewdale industrial areas.
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.
Spearwood railway station was a railway station on the Transperth network. It was located on the Spearwood-Armadale line, 25.5 kilometres (15.8 mi) from Perth station in Spearwood.
Robbs Jetty railway station was a railway station, south of Fremantle between 1902 and 1972.
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.
North Coogee is a coastal, western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn. The suburb is immediately to the north of Coogee, which takes its name from the lake, Lake Coogee, in the area, which translates to "Body of water" in the native Aboriginal Nyoongar language. Originally this lake was named Lake Munster after Prince William, the Earl of Munster, and later King William IV. The Aboriginal name Kou-gee was recorded in 1841 by Thomas Watson and has been variously spelt Koojee, Coojee and Coogee.
The Spearwood–Armadale railway line was a Western Australian Government Railways line connecting Spearwood to Armadale south of Perth.
Rockingham is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 47 km south-south-west of the city centre. It acts as the primary centre for the City of Rockingham. It has a beachside location at Mangles Bay, the southern extremity of Cockburn Sound. To its north stretches the maritime and resource-industry installations of Kwinana and Henderson. Offshore to the north-west is Australia's largest naval fleet and submarine base, Garden Island, connected to the mainland by an all-weather causeway. To the west and south lies the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.
Beeliar Drive is a major arterial road in the southwestern part of the Perth Metropolitan Area. It provides an important and unbroken east-west link between Kwinana Freeway and Stock Road providing access to residential developments in Beeliar, Yangebup and Lake Coogee in the west to commercial and industrial development in Cockburn Central, Jandakot and Success in the east. It is one of Perth's more recent arterial road constructions with development of the road occurring between the early 1990s and early 2020s.
North Lake Road is a major road in the southwestern suburbs of the Perth metropolitan area functioning as an intermediate arterial collector positioned between the limited-access Stock Road to the west and Kwinana Freeway to the east. North Lake Road's northern terminus is at Canning Highway with its southern end at Armadale Road with the Kwinana Freeway exit as of December 2021. North Lake Road was part of the old State Route 14 until the early 2010s when upgrades and extensions to the more south-westerly Spearwood Avenue and Beeliar Drive resulted in its status being revoked.
The Thornlie line is a suburban railway line and service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Thornlie line is a branch of the Armadale line and runs for 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) parallel to the Kwinana freight railway between the Armadale line at Kenwick and Thornlie station. Thornlie line services continue north of Kenwick along the Armadale line to Perth station, stopping at most stations, in contrast to Armadale line services, which skip most stations along that section.
The City has been working for a long time to make travelling into and around Rockingham easier, and to improve the entrances to our beautiful City and a commercial heavy freight line straight on our doorstep will create very negative images for Rockingham[ dead link ]
