Metro Area Express (Perth)

Last updated

Metro Area Express (MAX)
MAX (Perth) urban centre station concept image.jpg
Concept image of urban centre station
Overview
StatusProject cancelled
Locale Perth, Western Australia
Website www.max.wa.gov.au
Service
Type Light rail
Services1 + 2 spur lines
Rolling stock Articulated trams
Technical
Line length22 km (14 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Route map

Contents

BSicon uexKBHFa.svg
Polytechnic West
BSicon uexINT.svg
Mirrabooka bus station BSicon BUS2.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Cottonwood Crescent
BSicon uexHST.svg
Morley Drive North
BSicon uexHST.svg
Morley Drive
BSicon uexBHF.svg
Dianella Plaza
BSicon uexHST.svg
Woodrow Avenue
BSicon uexHST.svg
Terry Tyzak Aquatic Centre
BSicon uexBHF.svg
ECU Mt Lawley
BSicon uexHST.svg
Woodville
BSicon uexHST.svg
North Perth
BSicon uexHST.svg
Robertson Park
BSicon uexHST.svg
Aberdeen Street
BSicon uexBHF.svg
Perth Arena
BSicon uexINT.svg
City Square BSicon BUS2.svg Aiga railtransportation 25.svg
BSicon uexKINTaq.svg
BSicon uexABZgr.svg
QEII Medical Centre BSicon BUS2.svg
BSicon uexhKRZWae.svg
BSicon uexKINTe.svg
Causeway BSicon BUS2.svg

Metro Area Express (MAX) was a proposed light rail network for Perth, Western Australia, as part of Colin Barnett's 2010 announcement of a decade of light rail for Perth. It was scheduled to open in 2018, then postponed until 2022, then replaced by concepts for rapid buses and heavy rail, until it was abandoned in 2016.

Background

Perth's original tramway network, which linked the Perth central business district with many of Perth's inner suburbs, was in operation between the end of the nineteenth century and 1958.

Since the start of 2007, there have been four proposals for the reintroduction of trams to the Perth metropolitan area, in the form of light rail. [1] At least two of the proposals have been the subject of a detailed feasibility study. [2] [3]

In September 2012, the Government of Western Australia announced plans for a new Perth network, to be known as Metro Area Express (MAX). [4] [5]

Construction of the first stage was originally scheduled to begin in 2016, and be completed by the end of 2018. [5] However, in December 2013 the government announced the project would be deferred for three years. [6] Under the new timeframe the MAX network was to open in 2022. [7]

In April 2014, incoming transport minister Dean Nalder stated the government would investigate splitting the project into two parts, to allow an earlier start to be made on construction with priority given to the Balga - CBD section. [8]

In March 2015, the government announced it was considering using buses to implement the MAX route rather than light rail. Transport minister Dean Nalder said a preliminary analysis suggested that using buses would cost approximately 50% less than a light rail system. [9] In February 2016 it was proposed by the government that a heavy rail line be built. [10]

In June 2016 the government confirmed that the MAX light rail plan had been cancelled. While still planning a northern transport corridor, Transport Minister Dean Nalder said it would not be implemented using light rail and instead would use other alternatives. [11]

Route

Metro Area Express (Perth)
Indicative route map.

The first stage of the MAX network was to run from the Polytechnic West campus in Balga, in Perth's northern suburbs, to the Perth CBD, with spur lines from the CBD to the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre in Nedlands and to the eastern end of the Causeway in Victoria Park. [5]

Stops

StopArea
Polytechnic West Balga
Mirrabooka bus station Mirrabooka
Cottonwood Crescent Dianella
Morley Drive North
Morley Drive
Dianella Plaza
Woodrow AvenueDianella/Yokine
Terry Tyzak Aquatic Centre Inglewood
ECU Mt Lawley Mount Lawley
Woodville North Perth
North Perth
Robertson Park Northbridge
Aberdeen Street
Perth Arena Perth CBD
City Square
Swan River
Causeway Victoria Park
Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre Nedlands

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lawley, Western Australia</span> Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Mount Lawley is an inner northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The suburb is bounded by the Swan River to the east, Vincent, Harold and Pakenham Streets to the south, Central Avenue and Alexander Drive to the north, and Norfolk Street to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light rail in Sydney</span>

The Sydney light rail network is a light rail/tram system serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network consists of four passenger routes, the L1 Dulwich Hill, L2 Randwick, L3 Kingsford and L4 Westmead & Carlingford lines. It comprises 58 stops and a system length of approximately 36.7 km (22.8 mi), making it the second largest light rail network in Australia behind the tram network in Melbourne, Victoria.

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

The Yanchep line is a suburban railway line and service in Perth, Western Australia, linking the city's central business district (CBD) with its northern suburbs. Operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system, the Yanchep line is 54.5 kilometres (33.9 mi) long and has sixteen stations. It commences in a tunnel under the Perth CBD as a through service with the Mandurah line. North from there, the line enters the median strip of the Mitchell Freeway, where nine of the line's stations are. The Yanchep line diverges from the freeway to serve the centre of Joondalup and permanently leaves the freeway north of Butler for the northernmost four stations to Yanchep.

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

Stirling railway station is a railway station on the Transperth network. It is located on the Yanchep line, nine kilometres from Perth Underground station serving the suburb of Stirling.

<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 state owned operator of railways 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 the WAGR from September 1975 until December 2000, when the WAGR's freight division and the Westrail brand were privatised. Its remaining passenger operations were transferred to the Public Transport Authority in July 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteman Park</span> Bushland reserve north of Perth, Western Australia

Whiteman Park is a 4,000-hectare bushland area located 22 km (14 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia. The park is in the suburb of Whiteman, in the Swan Valley in the upper reaches of the Swan River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Drive</span> Road in Perth, Western Australia

Alexander Drive is a major north–south arterial road in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting Perth's central business district (CBD) with Edith Cowan University's Mount Lawley campus and the Malaga industrial area, as well as newer development suburbs to Perth's north. It is used by Transperth bus routes, including the 360, 361 and 362. Alexander Drive was named after Mr S.B. Alexander, a former Wanneroo Road Board member. Alexander Drive runs through the following local government areas City of Wanneroo, City of Swan, City of Bayswater and City of Stirling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaufort Street</span> Road in Perth, Western Australia

Beaufort Street is a major road in the inner north-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting the Morley area to the Perth central business district. For most of its length, it is a single-carriageway, two-way road with two lanes in each direction.

Transport in Perth, Western Australia, is served by various means, among them an extensive highway/freeway network and a substantial system of commuter rail lines and bus routes. Public transport is managed by the Transperth agency.

<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 eight Transperth suburban rail lines and 94 stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transperth</span> Suburban 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">Trams in Perth</span> Former tramway network in Perth

The Perth tramway network served Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, from 1899 until 1958. The network was initially run by a private company but was taken over by the state government in 1913. From a single line along Hay Street, the network expanded north as far as Osborne Park, east as far as Welshpool, south as far as Como, and west as far as Claremont. The tramways were gradually replaced by buses after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Fremantle</span> Tram network in Fremantle, Western Australia

The Fremantle tramway network linked the central business district of Fremantle, the port city for Perth, Western Australia, with nearby suburbs. Small but comprehensive, it operated between 1905 and 1952. It was not connected with the larger Perth tramway system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolleybuses in Perth</span> Former bus transport in Perth, Western Australia

The Perth trolleybus system in Western Australia linked the capital Perth's central business district with its inner suburbs on the northern side of the Swan River. It was the first permanent trolleybus network to open in Australia, in 1933, and also the last to close, in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Nalder</span> Australian politician (born 1966)

Dean Cambell Nalder is an Australian former politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia for the Liberal Party from 2013 to 2021, representing the seat of Alfred Cove until 2017, and Bateman following the 2017 electoral boundary re-distribution. At various times, he served as Minister for Transport, Minister for Finance and Minister for Agriculture and Food in the ministry of Premier Colin Barnett from 2014 to 2016. Following the Liberals' defeat at the 2017 state election, Nalder served in a number of shadow portfolios in the shadow ministries of Mike Nahan and Liza Harvey until resigning from the frontbench on 8 December 2020, following his announcement of retirement from politics at the next election. He was succeeded in his seat of Bateman by Labor's Kim Giddens on 13 March 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBD and South East Light Rail</span> Light rail line in Sydney, Australia

The CBD and South East Light Rail is a pair of light rail lines running between Sydney's central business district (CBD) and the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Services running between Circular Quay and Randwick are branded as the L2 Randwick Line, with services running between Circular Quay and Kingsford branded as the L3 Kingsford Line. Construction commenced in October 2015, with the L2 Randwick Line commencing services on the 14 December 2019 and the L3 Kingsford Line on the 3 April 2020. It is part of Sydney's light rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Busport</span> Underground central bus station in Perth, Western Australia

Perth Busport is an underground central bus station in Perth, Western Australia, located underneath Wellington Street. It was officially opened by then Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett and then Minister for Transport Dean Nalder on 13 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellenbrook line</span> Railway line in Perth, Western Australia

The Ellenbrook line, known as the Morley–Ellenbrook line during construction, is a suburban railway line and service in Perth, Western Australia, which is 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 stations along a 21.3-kilometre (13.2 mi) route to Ellenbrook. Ellenbrook line services continue west of Bayswater station alongside Midland and Airport line services to terminate at Perth station in the central business district.

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

Whiteman Park railway station is a suburban railway station on the Ellenbrook line in Perth, Western Australia. The station is located on the western side of Drumpellier Drive in Whiteman, and will serve the surrounding suburbs of Brabham, Dayton, Henley Brook and West Swan, as well as the nature reserve and tourism destination of Whiteman Park.

References

Notes

  1. Ryan, Diana (17 January 2011). "Light rail decisions needed now". The West Australian . Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. Department for Planning and Infrastructure (2007). "Perth Light Rail Study". Planning Western Australia website. Department of Planning, Western Australia. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  3. Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia (February 2010). "Stirling tram feasibility study – Preliminary patronage estimates" (PDF). Stirling City Centre Alliance website. City of Stirling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  4. "WA's first light rail network gets the green light". Ministerial Media Statements. Government of Western Australia. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Trenwith, Courtney (2 September 2012). "A 'bold' light rail system to 'transform' Perth". watoday. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  6. "Reform and restructure puts brakes on debt". Ministerial Media Statements. Government of Western Australia. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
  7. "About the Project – Anticipated timeline". MAX - Metro Area Express. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  8. "Transport Minister Dean Nalder reveals MAX light rail rethink". Perth Now. 27 April 2014. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  9. O'Connor, Andrew (8 March 2015). "Move from light rail to buses not a broken promise, WA Transport Minister Dean Nalder says". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.Additional archives: 9 March 2015 .
  10. Perth to Morley underground rail line favoured as MAX light rail put on backburner Archived 11 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine ABC News 2 February 2016
  11. O'Connor, Andrew (21 June 2016). "Perth MAX Light Rail promise abandoned by WA Government in long-term transport plan". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.

Bibliography

  • Brimson, Samuel (1983). The Tramways of Australia. Dreamweaver Books. ISBN   0-949825-01-8.
  • Campbell, Bob (1999). Getting there by Tram in Western Australia. Mt Lawley, WA: Perth Electric Tramway Society Inc. ISBN   0646-38447-3.
  • Culpeffer-Cooke, Tony; Gunzburg, Adrian; Pleydell, Ian (2010). Tracks by the Swan: The Electric Tram and Trolleybus Era of Perth, Western Australia. Mt Lawley, WA: Perth Electric Tramway Society Inc. ISBN   978-0-9807577-0-5.
  • Jones, Colin (1993). Watch for Trams. Kenthurst, N.S.W: Kangaroo Press. ISBN   0-86417-544-2.