Overview | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Service type | Passenger train | ||||
Status | Operational | ||||
Locale | Western Australia | ||||
First service | June 2004 | ||||
Current operator(s) | Transwa | ||||
Ridership | 6,039 (year to June 2022) | ||||
Route | |||||
Termini | East Perth Merredin | ||||
Distance travelled | 261 kilometres | ||||
Average journey time | 3 hours 15 minutes | ||||
Service frequency | 3 per week | ||||
Line(s) used | Eastern Eastern Goldfields | ||||
Technical | |||||
Rolling stock | WEA/WEB railcar | ||||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||
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The MerredinLink is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa between East Perth and Merredin.
The MerredinLink was introduced in June 2004 when the AvonLink from East Perth was extended from Northam to Merredin on three days a week. [1] [2]
In August 2013, Transwa announced that the MerredinLink would cease with The Prospector to make additional stops. [3] [4] However in December 2013 the service was given a reprieve. [5] [6]
In May 2014, it was announced that the service would continue until at least June 2017. [7] To release rolling stock for an enhanced AvonLink service, in December 2014 the MerredinLink was reduced to a Wednesdays only service. [8] From July 2017 it resumed operating three times a week. [9] As at June 2022, it operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. [10]
The MerredinLink is operated by a two-carriage WEA/WEB railcar. [11]
The MerredinLink had 6,039 passengers in the year leading up to June 2022. [12]
Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east.
Armadale Station is a railway station 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.
The Eastern Railway is the main railway route between Fremantle and Northam in Western Australia. It opened in stages between 1881 and 1893. The line continues east to Kalgoorlie as the Eastern Goldfields Railway.
Midland railway station is the terminus of the Midland line in Perth. Western Australia. It is operated by Transperth and is connected with the feeder bus services that utilise the adjacent bus terminal in Midland.
The AvonLink is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa between Midland and Northam.
The Prospector is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa between East Perth and Kalgoorlie. On this service, two trains depart almost at the same time in opposite directions, one travelling between East Perth and Kalgoorlie, and the other between Kalgoorlie and East Perth. The original vehicles ordered in 1968 for trains providing this service were replaced in 2004 with vehicles capable of reducing journey times to 6 hours 45 minutes.
The Australind is a rural passenger train service in Western Australia operated by Transwa on the South Western Railway between Perth and Bunbury.
Tammin is a town in the central agricultural region of Western Australia, 184 kilometres (114 mi) east of Perth and midway between the towns of Cunderdin and Kellerberrin on the Great Eastern Highway.
Kellerberrin is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 205 kilometres (127 mi) east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. The town serves as a stop on the Prospector and MerredinLink rural train services. It is also located on the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail.
Doodlakine is a town 220 km (140 mi) east of Perth, Western Australia. It is within the Shire of Kellerberrin along the Great Eastern Highway. The town has a crossing loop for trains on the Perth-to-Kalgoorlie railway and serves as a stop on the MerredinLink rural train service.
Meckering is a town 130 kilometres (80.8 mi) east of Perth, Western Australia along the Great Eastern Highway. Meckering is located within the Shire of Cunderdin.
Hines Hill is a town located 240 km (150 mi) east of Perth, between the towns of Merredin and Doodlakine in Western Australia. The town is situated on the Great Eastern Highway and also on the edge of Lake Baandee. The town has one of the first privately owned weighbridges in Western Australia is located close to the town.
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. Great Southern Rail operates the Indian Pacific.
Merredin railway station is located on the Eastern Goldfields Railway in Western Australia. It is in the town of Merredin.
Transperth Train Operations is a division of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. It is responsible for operating Perth’s urban passenger rail system, as part of the Transperth network.
The WAGR WCA class railcars and WCE class trailers were built by Comeng, Granville for the Western Australian Government Railways in 1971 to operate the new Prospector service between East Perth and Kalgoorlie. At the time of their construction the WCA class units were the longest and fastest diesel railcars in the world.
Bunbury Terminal is a train and bus station for Transwa services. The terminal is located in East Bunbury, Western Australia.
The Public Transport Centre is a terminal and administration building for public transport in Perth, Western Australia. It is the centerpiece of East Perth Terminal, a standard gauge railway station and coach terminal adjacent to East Perth station on the Transperth narrow gauge suburban rail network.
Northam railway station is located in Northam on the Eastern Railway route in Western Australia. It is the second and more recent railway station in Northam.
Media related to Transwa Avonlink at Wikimedia Commons