Victoria Park | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Kitchener Avenue & Rutland Avenue Lathlain / Victoria Park Western Australia Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 31°58′19″S115°54′09″E / 31.971832°S 115.902393°E | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Public Transport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operated by | Public Transport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | South Western Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 6.1 kilometres (3.8 mi) from Perth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 island platform with 2 platform edges | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | 41 bays | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1898 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | 2 August 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2013–14 | 258,580 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Victoria Park railway station is a suburban railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. The station is in the Perth suburbs of Lathlain and Victoria Park. Since November 2023, the station has been the terminus of the Armadale and Thornlie lines due to the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project. The whole of each line is expected to reopen in mid-2025.
The first Victoria Park station opened in 1898 after lobbying by the Municipality of Victoria Park. It gained a station master in 1922, which lasted until 1969. The Victoria Park section of the Armadale line underwent several improvements in the 2000s. Lathlain station closed in 2003, and a nearby level crossing was removed and replaced with a bridge. The Thornlie line commenced services on 7 August 2005, enabling most Armadale services to skip the station. In 2007, construction started on a new Victoria Park station, 230 metres (750 ft) south of the original station and closer to the demolished Lathlain station. The new station had greater accessibility and was no longer on a curve, which allowed for a smaller platform gap. The new Victoria Park station opened on 2 August 2008, and the old one was demolished soon afterwards.
The South Western Railway was opened between Perth and Pinjarra on 2 May 1893. [1] [2] By 1897, the closest station to Victoria Park was Burswood station, so the Municipality of Victoria Park sent a deputation to the commissioner of railways, Frederick Piesse, for the establishment of a railway platform at Victoria Park. [3] The original Victoria Park railway station opened in 1898. [4] [5] According to the Town of Victoria Park Local History Collection, the first mention of Victoria Park station on timetables was on 11 April 1898. [2] A footbridge was approved for the station in 1912, [6] and it gained a station master on 1 September 1922. [1] [2] [7] It became an unmanned station again on 1 March 1969. [2] [7] Over the course of its history, Victoria Park station had four station masters, who were commemorated by a plaque at the station in 1997. [7] [8] [9] [2]
Westrail, the operator of railways in Perth at the time, planned to rebuild Victoria Park station in the late 1990s, but this was deferred pending the completion of planning for the Mandurah line. [10] The original plans for the Mandurah line had it branch off the Armadale line at Kenwick. [11] The first South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan, published in 1999, found that there were too many stations spaced closely together on the Armadale line between Perth and Kenwick. Victoria Park station was 1,130 metres (3,710 ft) south of Burswood station and 775 metres (2,543 ft) north of Lathlain station. The master plan said that for Mandurah line services to integrate with Armadale line services, there had to be fewer stations along the shared section of track and a change in the stopping patterns of Armadale line services. [10]
The master plan therefore called for the removal of the nearby Bishopsgate Street level crossing, the removal of Lathlain station, the construction of a bridge across the railway at Miller Street/Roberts Road, and the rebuild of Victoria Park station about 230 metres (750 ft) south of the original Victoria Park station. The relocation of Victoria Park station had several advantages: it would put the station closer to the Victoria Park retail area along Albany Highway; fill the gap left by the closure of Lathlain station; make the station distribution along the Armadale line more even; allow for a straight platform with a smaller platform gap than the old station, which was on a curve; and allow for minimal disruption to the old station while the new station was being constructed. [12]
In 2001, a new state government was elected, who changed the route of the Mandurah line to be a more direct route from Perth rather than a branch of the Armadale line. Instead, the Thornlie line would be built as a one-station spur off the Armadale line at the same place as the previous Mandurah line route. A new master plan was released in August 2002. Although other planned upgrades to the Armadale line were cancelled, the Victoria Park station rebuild, Lathlain station closure, level crossing removal, and bridge construction were all planned to go ahead. Construction on the new station was planned to begin in October 2003 and be complete by July 2004. [13]
New MetroRail was formed in 2003 to manage extensions and upgrades to Perth's rail network, including the Victoria Park station rebuild. By this point, the new station was planned to open in late 2004. [14] [15] Lathlain station was closed on 2 February 2003. [2] [14] In September 2003, a contract worth A$7.2 million was awarded to Works Infrastructure Pty Ltd for the deviation of tracks to make room for the island platform at Victoria Park station, the construction of the Miller Street/Roberts Road bridge, and the construction of a pedestrian bridge at Howick Street. [16] [17] Two three-day shutdowns of the Armadale line occurred for the track realignment in January and March 2004. [18] The Miller Street/Roberts Road bridge opened on 26 June 2004, after which the Bishopsgate Street level crossing closed. By that point, tenders for the construction of Victoria Park station had been delayed until the completion of the Mandurah line due to staff shortages in the construction industry. [19] The Thornlie line opened on 7 August 2005. [20] [21]
Broad Construction Services was awarded the $9.2 million contract to build the new Victoria Park station. Construction began in August 2007, [22] [23] and the station was officially opened on 2 August 2008 by Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Alannah MacTiernan. [1] [2] [24] The old station was demolished soon after. The entire cost, including the realignment of the tracks, signalling, and demolition of the old station, was $12.1 million. [25]
As part of construction for Perth Stadium station, stowage tracks for 24 railcars were built between Great Eastern Highway and Victoria Park station, which are used to provide extra services during events at Perth Stadium. [26] [27]
Since 20 November 2023, the Armadale and Thornlie lines have been closed south of Victoria Park station for the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project. The first three days of the shutdown were used to modify the infrastructure at Victoria Park station to allow for trains to be turned around. The shutdown is expected to end by mid-2025. [28] [29] A temporary bus interchange was built for rail replacement bus services. [30]
Track layout | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source [31] |
Victoria Park station is on the boundary of Victoria Park and Lathlain, which are suburbs of Perth. The station is on the South Western Railway, which links Perth and Bunbury, [5] and is owned by the Public Transport Authority. [32] The adjacent stations are Burswood station to the north and Carlisle station (which is temporarily closed) to the south-east. [33] The station is 6.1 kilometres (3.8 mi) from Perth station [31] and is in fare zone one. [34]
The station itself consists of an island platform which is linked to either side of the railway by a pedestrian bridge. The platform is 100 metres (330 ft) long, which allows for four-car trains, and was designed to allow for extension to 150 metres (490 ft) for six-car trains. Victoria Park station has been identified as one of the stations to have its platform extended as part of phase two of the platform and signalling upgrade program, to allow for six-car trains on the Thornlie line. [35] [36] The platform links to the bridge by a lift and set of stairs. On both sides of the railway is a ramp and set of stairs to the bridge. There is a car park with 41 bays on the south-western side. Train replacement bus stops are on the north-eastern side. [37]
Victoria Park station is fully accessible, [33] and was designed with consultation from the nearby Association for the Blind, now known as VisAbility. [22] [23] The station's design was criticised by Victoria Park councillor Keith Hayes for a lack of shelter along the ramps, a lack of lifts on either side of the footbridge, and the lack of a ramp from the bridge to the platform, which is a problem when the lift is out of order. The length of the ramps was also criticised. Initial designs had lifts on both sides, but that was cut due to budget constraints. [38] [39]
The pre-2008 Victoria Park station had a curved island platform with a pedestrian level crossing on the south-east end and a footbridge accessed by stairs on the north-west end. [40]
On the platform is an art installation named Mute and Bright. This consists of two large steel bells. The bells play sounds created by visually-impaired artist Rob Muir. The artist's statement was "the artworks offer a visual solidity while producing timed and interactive sampling and replaying of altered sounds. They create an ever-changing soundscape that can be both heard and felt." [41]
Victoria Park station is served by Armadale/Thornlie line services. These services form part of the Transperth system and are operated by the Public Transport Authority. [42] Victoria Park station has received eight trains per hour since the shutdown began, dropping to four trains per hour at night and one train per hour after midnight on weekends. Service hours are from approximately 5 am and midnight, extending to 2:40 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. [43]
Train replacement bus services operate out of the temporary bus interchange. Route 908 goes between Victoria Park station and Cannington station. Other train replacement bus services bypass Victoria Park station to head directly to the Perth central business district. [28] [44]
In the 2013–14 financial year, Victoria Park station had 258,580 boardings, making it an average station for the Armadale and Thornlie lines. [45]
The Armadale line is a partially-closed 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.
Perth railway station is the largest station on the Transperth network, serving the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Airport, Armadale, Fremantle, Midland, and Thornlie lines as well as Transwa's Australind service. It is also directly connected to Perth Underground railway station, which has the Yanchep and Mandurah lines.
Welshpool was a railway station on the Transperth network. It was located on the Armadale and Thornlie lines, 9.5 kilometres from Perth Station serving the suburbs of Welshpool and Bentley, Western Australia.
Sherwood railway station is a suburban railway station in Armadale, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Armadale line which is part of the Transperth network, and is 28.6 kilometres (17.8 mi) southwest of Perth station and 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) north of Armadale station. The station opened in 1973 as Kingsley, but was renamed to Sherwood in 1993. It consists of two side platforms with a pedestrian level crossing. It is not fully accessible due to steep ramps, wide gaps at the pedestrian level crossing, and wide gaps between the platform and train. Services are operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the state government's Public Transport Authority. Peak services reach seven trains per hour in each direction, whilst off-peak services are four trains per hour.
Challis railway station is a suburban railway station in Kelmscott, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Armadale line which is part of the Transperth network, and is 27.3 kilometres (17.0 mi) southwest of Perth station and 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of Armadale station. The station opened on 29 October 1973, as did the adjacent Sherwood station, filling the large gap between Armadale station and Kelmscott station. It consists of two side platforms with a pedestrian level crossing. It is not fully accessible due to steep ramps and wide gaps at the pedestrian level crossing.
Seaforth railway station is a suburban railway station in Gosnells, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Armadale line which is part of the Transperth network, and is 22.6 kilometres (14.0 mi) southwest of Perth station and 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi) north of Armadale station. The station opened on 4 May 1948 with low level platforms. High level platforms were added in 1968. The station consists of two side platforms with a pedestrian level crossing. It is not fully accessible due to steep ramps and a lack of tactile paving.
Cannington is a temporarily closed railway station on the Armadale and Thornlie lines, serving the suburb of Cannington south of Perth, Western Australia. It is located 12.2 kilometres (7.6 mi) from Perth Station, and is part of the Transperth commuter rail network. It temporarily closed on 20 November 2023 as part of the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project.
Oats Street railway station is a temporarily-closed Transperth suburban railway station in Western Australia, located in the Perth suburbs of Carlisle and East Victoria Park. The station was served by the Armadale and Thornlie lines prior to its closure in November 2023.
Carlisle railway station is a temporarily-closed suburban railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. It is in the Perth suburbs of Carlisle and East Victoria Park, and was predominantly served by Thornlie line services prior to its closure in November 2023.
Lathlain railway station was a suburban railway station on the Transperth network in Western Australia. It was on the Armadale line in the Perth suburbs of Lathlain and Victoria Park. The station opened on 2 May 1958 to serve Lathlain Park, the home ground of the Perth Football Club. The station closed on 2 February 2003 due to low patronage, its close distance to the adjacent Carlisle and Victoria Park stations, and the need to lower the railway line to build the Miller Street/Roberts Road bridge.
Thornlie railway station is a temporarily closed railway station on the Transperth network. It was 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 Yanchep line at Perth Underground, and ends as a continuation of the Yanchep 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.
The B-series trains are a class of electric multiple unit built by Downer Rail in Maryborough, Queensland for Transperth between 2004 and 2019.
New MetroRail was a division of the Public Transport Authority in Western Australia. It was responsible for managing extensions to Perth's railway network. The project doubled Perth's rail network, which is operated by Transperth, and was completed in 2007, after various projects were completed. Costing $1.6 billion, the project was the largest public transport project ever undertaken by the Western Australian government and effectively doubled the size of Perth's railway network. A similar agency Metronet was created in 2017 for future Perth rail extensions.
Warnbro railway station is a commuter railway station in Warnbro, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Mandurah line, which is part of the Transperth commuter rail network, and is located immediately south-east of the interchange of Safety Bay Road and Ennis Avenue. 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 Underground station is 47.5 kilometres (29.5 mi), and takes 38 minutes. The journey to Mandurah station is 23.3 kilometres (14.5 mi), and takes 13 minutes. The station has a bus interchange with seven bus stands and 12 regular bus routes.
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.
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.
Perth Stadium railway station is a railway station in Burswood, Western Australia, next to Perth Stadium. It is located on the Armadale Line With six platforms, the station is the second largest on the Transperth network, after Perth railway station.
The Thornlie line is a temporarily closed 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 which opened on 7 August 2005 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 continued north of Kenwick along the Armadale line to Perth station, stopping at most stations, in contrast to Armadale line services, which skipped most stations along that section. The Thornlie line has been suspended since 20 November 2023 due to construction work; it is planned to reopen in mid-2025.