Thornlie-Cockburn Link

Operations will commence in late-2024.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link will open all at once. 

Construction vehicles will be in the area while the Thornlie-Cockburn Link is built. Traffic management will be implemented in accordance with approved plans.

Managing street parking is the responsibility of local government and is outside the Public Transport Authority’s control. We will raise any concerns with the relevant local authorities.

Designs include about 400 parking bays at Ranford Road Station and about 1,000 parking bays at Nicholson Road Station. Ranford Road Station car park will be designed to allow for future expansion as demand for parking increases.

Some bus services will be redirected from Thornlie Station to the new Nicholson Road Station and a new route will be introduced linking Nicholson Road Station with Maddington Station.

Given its location along an existing high-frequency bus corridor, all passing services will be diverted into Ranford Road Station. A number of services will be extended, while some lower demand services will be truncated to terminate at the station.

Service planning will commence around 12-18 months before operations begin, including detailed planning and community consultation to develop a bus network that best aligns with local development and community needs.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link area includes a mix of established and developing suburbs that are experiencing significant population growth due to the availability of urban zoned land and continuing demand for affordable land, particularly from young families. South of the Thornlie-Cockburn Link is an 80.8 km2 area of land that has poor public transport services, but is estimated to grow significantly in the future.

Extensive modelling was undertaken to estimate patronage using data sources including passenger numbers, population growth, housing density and other demographic information. Modelling was conducted through the Department of Transport’s Strategic Transport Estimation Model (STEM).

All platforms will be built to accommodate six-car trains for future use. However, the four-car A-series or three-car B-series train sets will be able to meet passenger demand for day one of operations.

Yes, this project allows for a future Mandurah special event service to Stadium Station.

The station names are working project names based on their locations. The names will be subject to approval from the Geographic Naming Committee closer to project completion.

Yes, a combined budget of $1.25 billion has been allocated to the Thornlie-Cockburn Link and Yanchep Rail Extension as a joint funding arrangement, with $700 million from the Commonwealth Government and $550 million from the WA Government.

Works started in mid-2020. 

It is expected the Thornlie-Cockburn Link will generate around 1,680 jobs. Any WA Government roles are advertised on the WA Jobs Board. Project roles are also being advertised through CPB Contractors and Downer Group.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link was first proposed in the South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan (April 2000). In July 2001, the then State Government announced a major change in the route to follow the alignment of the Kwinana Freeway. However, at that time a spur line from Beckenham Station to Thornlie Station was constructed and future-proofing included the accommodation of a connection to the Mandurah Line.

Yes. The freight lines will be relocated to the northern part of the rail corridor, creating enough space for the passenger lines to be built. 

This pedestrian level crossing will be replaced with a pedestrian bridge to improve safety in the area.

Some maintenance and upgrade work will be carried out within the Glen Iris Tunnel to accommodate the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

While there are no immediate plans to build the orbital rail line, there is potential to do so in the future. This planning work will occur as demand for the orbital rail line increases.

The speed limits along the freight line were reduced while Arc Infrastructure replaced sleepers along a section of the track. Once the work was complete trains were able to return to the standard speed limits. 

No. The current freight rail traffic will continue while we build the new tracks in the rail corridor.

Freight trains are required to sound horns at level crossings for safety reasons. If level crossings are removed as part of this project, freight trains will no longer need to sound horns at these points. However, trains will still use their horns in warning if they see people in the rail corridor.

As part of the project, property condition surveys will be conducted to understand if construction activities may have any impact to nearby structures. This will also be used to track any impacts following construction.

The levels of vibration currently generated from rail operations are below any level that would cause structural damage to a building, even over a long period of time. The limits set by the Environmental Protection Authority are designed to minimise human annoyance and is 25 times below the vibration level likely to case structural damage to buildings.

As part of this project the State Government is looking to minimise vibration from the rail operations. One mitigation method to be implemented includes installing anti-vibration ballast matting under the freight and passenger rail tracks.

In the short term, the Thornlie-Cockburn Link’s new station precincts at Nicholson Road and Ranford Road will support access to the new rail service, including parking and bus transfer facilities, as well as improved cycle and pedestrian links to surrounding residential and employment areas.

In the medium-to-long term, the stations will be a catalyst for change in their immediate vicinity, encouraging the transformation of under-utilised urban and industrial land into new transit-oriented developments.

The METRONET Office will continue to work with key stakeholders, including local government, to guide any land planning and development to ensure the benefits of investing in good public transport are realised.

It is too early to forecast how this project will impact property values in the nearby area. Better transport connections have the potential to directly lift property values. Property values could also benefit indirectly because METRONET’s integrated planning approach enables denser development, leading to more amenities such as shops and health facilities. 

Nicholson Road Station users will access the station from a new shared path connection along Canna Drive (from Nicholson Road), bus and vehicle access through an upgraded Tulloch Way and Panama Street, and a new shared path connection from the underpass recently constructed as part of the Nicholson Road Bridge upgrade.

Some roads that approach the station will be upgraded as part of this project. Changes to the network outside of the immediate project area will be managed by local government. Outside of this project scope, Main Roads WA is assessing the local road network, including the Nicholson Road, Garden Street and Yale Road roundabout.

Consultation is underway with various local governments to assess the path network connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Details will be provided as they progress.

The Nicholson Road Station design allows for future connection to the north of the rail corridor, when demand in this area increases. The area around the station, such as the passenger car park, may change to support future developments.

Nicholson Road Station will be fitted with security measures that are standard at all PTA stations. This includes CCTV, lighting and clear sight lines throughout the area. In the future as development occurs around the station, passive security will also increase with the increase in activity in the area.

Ranford Road Station will be accessed from a precinct entry road off the proposed Jandakot Airport Eastern Link Road to the south-east of the station.

As Ranford Road is an important distributor road serving both commuter traffic in peak periods and local traffic throughout the day. Planning is underway to minimise disruption during construction.

This includes consultation with the City of Canning, Main Roads WA and community groups. The works will include upgrades to Ranford Road, construction of a new Ranford Road / Jandakot East Link Road signalised intersection, modified City of Canning Waste Transfer Station access and the new Ranford Road Station entry.

Ranford Road Station will be fitted with security measures that are standard at all Transperth stations. These include CCTV, lighting and clear sight lines throughout the area. As development occurs around the station, passive security will also improve with an increase in activity in the area.

Environmental and heritage considerations are a key priority for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.
Investigations and surveys have identified the following environmental and heritage considerations:

• clearing of native vegetation;
• loss of fauna habitat;
• disturbance of acid sulfate soils;
• dewatering;
• existing soil and groundwater contamination;
• noise and vibration;
• Aboriginal heritage; and
• waste management.

These will be monitored and managed in consultation with the governing and regulatory authorities. 

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link has environmental approvals from both the State and Federal governments.

We recognise the importance of Aboriginal heritage and a METRONET Aboriginal Engagement Strategy has been developed. Initial studies for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link identified that works to duplicate the rail bridge over the Canning River will occur within a registered Aboriginal heritage site.

Although the project impact to the Canning River is expected to be minimal, recognising the importance of this site to the Whadjuk land owners, the Public Transport Authority sought the relevant approvals for the proposed works. Aboriginal monitoring personnel will be engaged to monitor initial ground works to ensure any culturally significant material, if uncovered, is managed appropriately.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link’s original development envelope was reviewed to minimise the amount of vegetation clearing. Thorough engineering and environmental reviews of the project’s original development area reduced the amount of native vegetation to be cleared and potential habitat trees likely to be impacted. Also, the Caladenia Grove Wetland Reserve was avoided.

Yes. Where possible, replanting of areas with fast-growing small native shrubs and trees will occur following construction. Replanting will be limited within the rail reserve due to visibility and rail safety rules.

Larger or more mature trees are generally not replanted due to a lower success rate of uptake. To ensure the best chance for survival, the planting will be mostly smaller, fast-growing native plants that will reach maturity in a shorter time.

Rehabilitation of the impacted Canning River banks will be undertaken with input from the local environmental community groups.

The existing rail corridor has been largely cleared of native vegetation and is maintained as an active freight rail corridor. However, some clearing will be required and the environmental conditions outlined in the approvals will ensure this is done in an environmentally responsible way. 

Prior to vegetation clearing, all areas will undergo fauna trapping by a licensed contractor, with any captured fauna relocated to a suitable location advised by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

All works will follow a Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan, in accordance with the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.  The plan will detail how potential noise and vibration impacts will be minimised and how impacted properties will be kept informed.

Initial noise and vibration modelling recommended a combination of up to four-metre high noise walls in certain locations and anti-vibration ballast matting under both the freight and passenger lines to minimise noise and vibration. This is being refined as the design progresses.

Construction management plans will be followed and include mitigations to minimise impacts to nearby properties. A pre-condition survey was offered to property owners close to the rail alignment and there was a high level of participation. This survey information will form part of managing any damage that may occur during construction.

The Public Transport Authority is progressively removing level crossings across the Perth metropolitan area and where appropriate replacing them with bridges, footbridges or underpasses. Replacing level crossings significantly improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists and benefits the reliability of train operations. It also means the frequent sounding of train horns at
level crossing is no longer required.

A rail crossing is needed at this location as it is an important access point with alternative crossing points for pedestrians at Nicholson Road and Spencer Street, which are 1.5km and 1.9km away, respectively.

The footbridge will be located where the existing Elliot Place / Cameron Street pedestrian level crossing is situated. The early design shows the footbridge crossing over the railway positioned slightly southwest of the crossing (i.e. 10 metres toward the future Nicholson Road Station).

Access to the footbridge will be from the Elliot Place and Cameron Street.
Both stairs and ramps will be provided access both sides of the bridge. Ramps will be built in a ‘switchback’ configuration parallel to the rail corridor, on the Nicholson Road side.

Early design indicates the footbridge walkway level to be around 8.6m above the ground level at the highest point, where it crosses the rail.
The main bridge is a straight steel truss spanning 41m across the rail reserve with no skew. The main truss is 3.6m deep and will support a concrete base.

There will be 3.6m between hand rails on either side of the bridge and ramps. Each ramp will be about 153m long, totalling 306m. Both ramps will have ‘switchback’ landings (180-degree return) at mid-height.

The rail corridor will be fully fenced to prevent people accessing the corridor at ground level.

The fencing and screening incorporated into the bridge design will prevent footbridge users from overlooking. Property frontages facing local roads will be visible. The bridge and ramps will be screened, where adjacent to properties, to prevent users throwing materials onto the rail or into adjacent properties, and for privacy.

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles have been incorporated in the design. Screening has been carefully located to provide an adequate line of sight at abrupt changes in the ramp direction and to avoid creating ‘dead spots’. Passive surveillance exists through visually transparent screens.

The footbridge, including the ramps will comply with the access and mobility standards.

Other options were considered, including:

• no alternative means of rail crossing installed at this location i.e. permanent detour for pedestrians to use Nicholson Road / Spencer Road options. This was not desirable due to connectivity requirements in the local area;
• a rail underpass – this was not desirable due to the ground water conditions and crime prevention design standards; and
• alternative configurations for the northern ramps, including the switchback or straight ramp extending up Cameron Street, was not aesthetically desirable.

Clearing of trees and vegetation will be limited and will comply with environmental approvals.

The steel structure will largely be constructed offsite and arrive to be installed by large cranes onto concrete footings and piers. There is a local government approved construction noise and vibration management plan.

Early indications show acoustic barriers will be required in the vicinity of the bridge. However, the extent, height and materials to be used needs to be determined. The current images shown do not include the extent of these noise walls.