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The Midland line is a suburban rail service on the
Transperth Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
network in
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia. It runs on the Eastern Railway through Perth's eastern suburbs and connects Midland with Perth. Travelling from Midland, the trains terminate at
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
on the
Fremantle line The Fremantle line is a suburban railway and service in Western Australia that connects the central business district (CBD) of Perth with Fremantle. History The railway on which the service runs opened on 1 March 1881 as the first suburban rai ...
.


History

The section of the Eastern Railway between Fremantle, Perth and Guildford was the first suburban railway line in Perth, opening on 1 March 1881. The line was extended from Guildford to Chidlow's Well, opening in March 1884. Throughout the 1880s, the Eastern Railway line was extended beyond Guildford and Midland Junction along its first route to Chidlow and Northam. The second route varied after
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...
proceeding to Chidlow via the Swan View Tunnel, Parkerville and Stoneville. The third route saw the removal of the Bellevue Railway station in its construction, with the new Midland railway terminus replacing the older
Midland Junction railway station The Midland Junction railway station was an important junction station on the Eastern Railway of Western Australia until its closure in 1966. Its history started on 1 March 1886 when Frederick Broome, then Governor of Western Australia, turn ...
. An anomaly of the Midland line timetables in the 1950s and 1960s was that
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...
was nominally the terminus of the line until 1962. Koongamia, which was a new station prior to Greenmount on the original first route, was the terminus from 1962 to 1966. In 1966, the stations on the first two Eastern Railway routes as well as the old Midland Junction railway station were closed and the new Midland was constructed to the west and became the new terminus. Generally, changes from the 1970s saw a significant number of stations on the line moved or turned into island platform stations (to be compatible with the double track,
dual-gauge In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to ca ...
track configuration between East Perth and Midland). On 24 July 2004, Bassendean became the first station to be upgraded under the "Building Better Stations" project. In the earlier decades of the 21st century, a significant number of rail-crossing accidents between motor vehicles and trains occurred. Unattended crossings were provided with boom gates, flashing lights and bells to counter inattention or risk taking from drivers. Also, crossings were reduced, and in a number of locations, bridges were constructed.


Airport railway connection

In December 2013, the
Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
announced its intention to construct a railway line branching off the Midland line north of Bayswater to Forrestfield via
Perth Airport Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries of ...
. Construction of the Forrestfield–Airport Link commenced in November 2016 and was scheduled to open in 2021. However, after delays, it opened on 9 October 2022.


Morley–Ellenbrook line

The future Morley–Ellenbrook line is also due to be built as a branch from the Midland line northward after Bayswater station, due for completion in 2024.


Description

During hot weather, the tracks can distort. As a result, train speeds are reduced by approximately when the air temperature is above , and by an additional when the air temperature is above . The Transperth network currently uses fixed block signalling and automatic train protection, which stops trains that pass a red signal and slows trains that drive too fast. Click Download Now, then Download for Information Only. Make sure HCS SWTR Book 1 - Scope of Works DRAFT 01-09-21_Redacted.pdf is selected, then click Download Documents. These systems will be replaced by an
automatic train control Automatic train control (ATC) is a general class of train protection systems for railways that involves a speed control mechanism in response to external inputs. For example, a system could effect an emergency brake application if the driver d ...
system, likely a
communications-based train control Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accurat ...
system. The new systems are planned to be in place on the Midland line by June 2027.


Route


Stations

Since 21 July 2019, all regular services stop at all stations on this line.


Service


Patronage

Below is the annual patronage of Midland line from 2010 to 2020 financial year. Figures are provided as total boardings, which includes all fare-paying boardings and free travel on stations within the free transit zones as well as transfers between stations. The figures for rail replacement and special events services are not included in the total.


See also


Current information

*
Transperth Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
*
Transperth Train Operations Transperth Train Operations is a division of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. It is responsible for operating Perth’s urban passenger rail system, as part of the Transperth network. Perth's passenger rail network covers ...
*
List of Transperth railway stations Transperth is the system of public transport serving Perth and Mandurah, Western Australia, managed by the state government's Public Transport Authority (PTA). Suburban rail services are operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division o ...


Historical information

*
Midland Railway of Western Australia The Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA) was a railway company that built and operated the Midland line in Western Australia. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although having its headquarters in London, it had no associatio ...


References


Further reading

* Watson, Lindsay ''The Railway History of Midland Junction: Commemorating The Centenary of Midland Junction, 1895-1995'' Swan View, W.A: L & S Drafting in association with the Shire of Swan and the Western Australian Light Railway Preservation Association, 1995 {{Public Transport Authority of Western Australia railway stations, Midland=y, state=collapsed Railway lines in Perth, Western Australia Midland, Western Australia Eastern Railway (Western Australia) Railway lines opened in 1881 1881 establishments in Australia