Claremont Station Upgrade

To increase service frequency and allow direct access to the future Airport Line, new rail infrastructure called a turnback is being installed so Airport Line trains can drop passengers off at Claremont Station and use the turnbacks to turn around and head back the way they came.

A turnback is a piece of rail infrastructure that allows trains to change tracks and turn back towards the direction they have come from. The turnback will support daily operations on the Forrestfield-Airport Link and Fremantle Line, as well as allowing services to continue operating if an incident or shutdown occurs on either of these lines.

The location of the new turnbacks balances both the physical space required in the rail corridor and finding a solution that will optimise future train operations. Claremont is perfectly located as a key centre point approximately half way between Perth and Fremantle, with the resulting service improvements expected to benefit the area’s ongoing growth, along with other key established and planned destinations.

Claremont also provides several bus routes which was a requirement for an end-of-line station for the Airport Line.

This crossing is where the first turnback will be located. The turnback infrastructure moves trains from one track to another. It is unsafe to have pedestrians or cyclists crossing over moving rail infrastructure.

Yes. The eastern pedestrian level crossing and the Heritage Bridge will remain so people can get across the tracks and to the station.

The Public Transport Authority has a plan to extend all platforms on the Fremantle Line to cater for six car trains. Before this happens, the eastern pedestrian level crossing at Claremont Station will need to be removed to allow for the platform extension and an accessibility-compliant pedestrian overpass will be built.

The new station access will require additional space either side of the tracks. This is likely to result in both temporary and permanent relocation of some sections of the PSP.

Recognising the important history at Claremont Station, every effort will be made to preserve and protect heritage infrastructure as part of the upgrade.

Since the original designs were released work has progressed in consultation with various stakeholders, including the Town of Claremont.

Feedback indicated that the proposed overpass concept design was not the preferred location to support town centre connectivity. It has been postponed while work continues with the Town of Claremont to investigate options to maintain the north-south pedestrian connection that aligns with the town’s main street, Bay View Terrace.

Removing some trees is unavoidable. The project team will work with the Town of Claremont regarding the replacement of any removed trees. 

Yes. To minimise impact to rail operations, some out-of-hours work must occur. All out-of-hours work will follow a Noise Management Plan and affected residents will receive advance notification. 

However, where practical or possible, work will be planned to take place during standard construction hours of 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday. 

Parts of Leighton Yard are currently being used to store materials for the Claremont Station Project, due to limited space at the project site. Once these works are complete the materials will be removed; however, the PTA will continue to use parts of the yard for routine storage of materials as needed.

Main Roads WA is also building a new Principal Shared Path (PSP) through the yard to connect Victoria Street Station and North Fremantle Station. The new PSP will be fence-separated from the marshalling yard. More information about this project is available on the Main Roads website here: https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/projects-initiatives/programs/fremantle-path/