METRONET’s Thornlie-Cockburn Link continues to progress with design packages and on-the-ground investigations well underway. 

The 17.5km extension from Thornlie to Cockburn Central will serve the current and future communities between the Mandurah and Armadale lines. As Perth’s first east-west rail link it will address gaps in public transport and provide a direct link to Optus Stadium for Mandurah Line passengers.

Forward works in the rail corridor are underway and the contractor, NEWest Alliance, has mobilised to site. The project’s staging relies on first relocating electrical and communication utilities, then shifting the freight rail lines to the northern side of the rail corridor. 

Innovative preliminary designs for the new Ranford Road Station have addressed the site’s geographical challenges and ensure the station is well connected to the local area.  A new, higher bridge will be constructed to future-proof the rail corridor, and will have six general traffic lanes, two bus lanes and a shared path on either side.

In the next few months, Ranford Road will be realigned to the east and reduced to two lanes in each direction, to ensure traffic can still use the bridge while construction takes place. 

The new Nicholson Road Station is located near a major traffic roundabout, so enabling safe and easy vehicle station access without adding to traffic issues is a key preliminary design consideration. In developing designs for road layouts and station access, there continues to be close liaison with local government and the Main Roads WA team. 

When the Thornlie-Cockburn Link is complete, passengers using Ranford Road and Nicholson Road Station will be able to travel to Perth in about 29 or 27 minutes respectively. The station is located along a high-frequency bus route, and will also help service the Canning Vale industrial area.