Yanchep Rail Extension

 

The Yanchep Rail Extension will deliver the last proposed section of the Joondalup Line from Butler, 14.5km north to Yanchep to help support ongoing growth in the area and reduce congestion.

The Yanchep Rail Extension will help develop activity centres by stimulating new employment opportunities in the Alkimos secondary centre, Eglinton district centre and Yanchep Strategic Metropolitan Centre and supporting higher density land use for residential and commercial purposes.

The extension will give more than 150,000 future Yanchep-Two Rocks residents another transport option to travel around Perth.

With stations planned at Alkimos, Eglinton and Yanchep, early designs show how stations will fit within the planned development areas and cater for passengers on day one of operations.

Work is expected to begin in late-2019.

The Yanchep Rail Extension is in Alliance Development Phase. The two consortiums on the short-list for final consideration are:

METROconnex - Coleman Rail, Clough and Georgiou;

NEWest Alliance – CPB Contractors and Downer.

Given the size of the Yanchep Rail Extension, minimising environmental and community impacts is a key focus.

Travelling through existing and planned developments, the majority of the 14.5km long rail extension will be in a cutting to reduce noise and improve overall amenity for nearby residents and businesses.

The rail alignment will travel through one Parks and Recreation reserve and a Bush Forever site. Every effort has been made to minimise impact on these areas, including considering alternative alignments. However, the undulating landscape, tight rail curve (not conforming to railway design standards) and impact on existing and future residents meant these options were not viable.

The Alkimos Parks and Recreation reserve will have a fauna underpass to maintain fauna linkage in the area, and options for ecological linkages are being assessed for the Bush Forever site. Every effort will be made to minimise impacts in these areas.

Flora management

Some clearing is required for the Yanchep Rail Extension, which will require approval under the Environmental Protection Act 1986.

Fauna management

The project will deliver one fauna underpass through the Alkimos Parks and Recreation reserve and ecological linkage options are being explored through the Bush Forever site to ensure animal movements are not isolated as a result of the railway through these areas.

During construction, before clearing begins, a fauna trapping and relocation program will be undertaken. Relocation will be undertaken by a verified specialist. Fencing will be erected as soon as possible to prevent the movement of fauna into the works area.

Noise, vibration and light

To minimise impacts on the current and future residential developments, the Yanchep Rail Extension will mostly be built in a cutting, with developers required to have appropriate setbacks from the rail reserve (via road reserves or public open space) and homes in the ‘first row’ facing the route encouraged to implement ‘ quiet house design’

Noise walls will be constructed as required, based on modelling outcomes and in consultation with land developers to minimise residual impact. To manage vibration near residential properties, ballast matting will be installed under the railway where it is located next to existing and future residential developments.

Lighting of the principal-shared path and station areas will be directed away from residential properties as much as possible and will be assessed during the final design stages.

Aboriginal Heritage

No registered Aboriginal Heritage Sites are identified within, or in close proximity to, the Yanchep Rail Extension. An archaeological survey, heritage surveys and Aboriginal consultation was undertaken to identify the heritage value of the rail corridor and surrounding area. As a result, specialist Aboriginal monitoring personnel will be engaged during the initial vegetation clearing stages at the station sites to further ensure there are no heritage sites or artefacts located within these areas. 

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The Yanchep Rail Extension Community Reference Group (CRG) consists of local residents and businesses to help the project team identify local opportunities, issues and concerns.

The role of the CRG is to act as a sounding board regarding the delivery and impacts of the project throughout the planning, delivery and construction phases.

The CRG is encouraged to bring community feedback or enquiries for discussion in the meetings to identify any issues.

Formed in July 2019, CRG members were selected from 96 nominees representing a range of demographics, geographics, interests, opinions and experience.

CRG members are:

Kendra Campbell, Ashleigh Dix, Chris Howard, Alan Jones, Paul Kelly, Wiston Matanda, Jaimee Millington, David Mureithi, Lisa Whitty and Renata Zelinova

The minutes of each CRG will be published below. 

Meeting 1 - August 12, 2019 - minutes

 

Transport projects can be planned and delivered in a relatively defined timeframe.

However, the associated development around a station can take 30 to 40 years (or longer) to reach target densities and is largely not within the State Government’s control. In addition, land uses are impacted by planning, investment and policy factors beyond the investment in transport infrastructure alone.

For the Yanchep Rail Extension, the METRONET Office will continue to work with state agencies, local governments and the private sector to help transition the areas around the new stations into mix-used centres over time.