Welshpool railway station, Perth

Welshpool
The station in 2021, 2 years before its closure
General information
Location	Sevenoaks Street, Welshpool/Bentley Australia
Coordinates	31°59′43″S115°55′24″E / 31.995416°S 115.923309°E / -31.995416; 115.923309
Owned by	Public Transport Authority
Operated by	Transperth Train Operations
Lines	Armadale line       Thornlie Line
Distance	9.5 kilometres from Perth
Platforms	2 (1 island)
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Ground
Other information
Station code	AWL 99081 (platform 1) 99082 (platform 2)
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	1889
Closed	20 November 2023
Electrified	Yes
Passengers
2013–14	116,681
Services
Preceding station Transperth Following station Oats Street towards Perth Armadale line All Stops Queens Park towards Armadale Thornlie Line T Queens Park towards Thornlie
Location Location of Welshpool railway station

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.

The station closed permanently on 20 November 2023, as part of the Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project. The reasons for this included: building a much-needed rail overpass for Welshpool Road required demolition of the existing station; low patronage of Welshpool Station, and; the proximity of Leach Highway made construction of a new station unviable. ^[1]

History

Welshpool Station opened in 1889 as one of the original stations on the Armadale line. ^[2] As early as the 1930s the location was concern for railway crossing safety. ^{[3] [4]}

During the Second World War, it was considered as a suitable location for a proposed munitions factory. ^[5]

Welshpool Station was planned to be closed under the original 1999 South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan for the Armadale line branch route of the Mandurah line to enable the construction of a bridge over Welshpool Road instead of the current level crossing. ^[6] However, with the change in route alignment, the closure was no longer necessary at that point in time. ^{[7] : ix}

Closure

Further information: Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project

The station closed on 20 November 2023 as part of a Metronet project for the removal of level crossings on the Armadale line. The project included removal of the Welshpool Road level crossing. Because Welshpool Station adjoined the Welshpool Road level crossing, it would have been difficult to build a rail overpass to replace the level crossing, without permanent closure of the station. Low patronage – relatively few passengers boarding and alighting from trains at Welshpool – also played a part in the decision to close the station. The aforementioned factors, as well as the proximity of an existing road bridge for Leach Highway (less than 500 metres south of the former station) made construction of a new, relocated station unviable. ^[8]

Services

Welshpool Station was served by Transperth Armadale and Thornlie line services. ^[9] Usually, Armadale Line trains skipped the station with the station being primarily served by Thornlie Line trains. However, on Sundays and at night the station was additionally served by Armadale Line trains.

The station saw 116,681 passengers in the 2013-14 financial year. ^[10]

Platforms

Welshpool Station platforms

Stop	Platform	Line	Stopping pattern	Destination	Notes
99081	1	Armadale and Thornlie lines	All stations, T	Perth
99082	2	Armadale	All stations	Armadale
		Thornlie	T	Thornlie

References

1. "Armadale Line Shutdown begins 20 November". METRONET.
2. History of Stations on the Armadale Train Line Right Track
3. "Railway Crossing Closures". The Swan Leader . Vol. VII, no. 14. Western Australia. 14 February 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 11 June 2023– via National Library of Australia.
4. "Welshpool Crossing Smash". The Swan Leader . Vol. VII, no. 46. Western Australia. 2 October 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 11 June 2023– via National Library of Australia.
5. "Munitions Men Choose Welshpool". The Daily News . Vol. LIX, no. 20631. Western Australia. 17 May 1941. p. 33 (LAST RACE). Retrieved 11 June 2023– via National Library of Australia.
6. South West Metropolitan Transit Planning Steering Committee 1999, p. 47.
7. "Perth Urban Rail Development Project – Supplementary Master Plan" (PDF). Transperth. August 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2003. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
8. "Level Crossings – Welshpool Road". Metronet. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
9. Armadale/Thornlie Line Timetable Archived 25 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Transperth 31 January 2016
10. "Question On Notice No. 4248 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 25 June 2015 by Mr M. Mcgowan". Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 25 July 2022.

Bibliography

• South West Metropolitan Transit Planning Steering Committee (March 1999). Draft South West Metropolitan Railway: Perth to Jandakot, Rockingham and Mandurah Master Plan. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007 – via New MetroRail.

External links

• Gallery History of Western Australian Railways & Stations