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The Armadale line is a suburban rail service in
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
that runs from
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 ...
to Armadale on the South Western Railway. This service is planned to extend to the suburb of
Byford Byford is a village and civil parish on the River Wye in Herefordshire, England, about west of Hereford. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 119, increasing to 201 at the 2011 census. Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Cla ...
over an new railway line constructed as part of the Byford Rail Extension project. The Thornlie line is a service that runs on the South Western Railway from Perth to a junction between
Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...
and Kenwick and continues on a short branch line to Thornlie that opened on 7 August 2005. This service is currently, , being extended to Cockburn Central (which until now was serviced by the
Mandurah line The Mandurah line is a commuter railway and service on the Transperth network in Western Australia that runs from Perth south to the state's second largest city Mandurah. The service is operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the ...
only) as part of the Thornlie-Cockburn Link project that in part is constructing of new railway line between Thornlie and Cockburn Central next to the Kewdale White Oil Line.


History

The Armadale line runs on the South Western Railway which opened on 2 May 1893. In September 1991, the line commenced electrified operation. Between 2004 and 2005, Armadale, Carlisle and Gosnells were upgraded to provide better facilities to passengers and provide better access between trains and buses. Lathlain station was closed on 3 February 2003 as part of the project. Thornlie was opened on 7 August 2005. The station is built on a spur line of the South Western Railway. Between 21 March 1993 and 8 August 2005, trains on the Armadale line continued through
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 ...
to the
Joondalup line The Joondalup line is a commuter rail service in Western Australia, linking the Perth central business district (CBD) with the Perth metropolitan region, metropolitan area's north-western suburbs. The service is operated on the Northern Suburbs ...
. In 2004 new railcars were introduced, which became exclusive to the Joondalup line. From 2005 until 2012, Armadale line trains did not run through
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 ...
to the other lines but on 20 August 2012, as part of works relating to the
Perth City Link Perth City Link is an urban renewal and redevelopment project in Perth, Western Australia. The projectbounded by the Mitchell Freeway, Wellington Street, the Horseshoe Bridge and Roe Street is on land that was once the Perth/City railway yar ...
project to sink 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 ...
, services from
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 ...
connected to the line until the tunnel was opened on 18 July 2013 which saw the Armadale line terminate in Perth again. Victoria Park and Kelmscott Stations were upgraded between 2007 and 2008 as part of the Public Transport Authority's 'Building Better Stations' program. Victoria Park station was opened on 20 July 2008. and Kelmscott was opened on 21 November 2008. As part of the new
Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in A ...
project,
Belmont Park station Belmont Park is a seasonal-use Long Island Rail Road station on the grounds of the Belmont Park racetrack in the New York City borough of Queens. The station is a terminus of a spur line that lies south of and between the Queens Village and ...
closed on 13 October 2013. Stadium station was opened in 2018 to replace it.


Transformation

As part of the
Metronet Metronet may refer to: *Metronet (British infrastructure company), who maintained London Underground infrastructure between 2003 and 2008. *Metronet (Western Australia), government agency formed in 2017, responsible for managing extensions to Perth ...
project, both the Armadale main line and the Thornlie spur line will undergo extensions and upgrades. Additionally, the currently combined line will be split with the Thornlie Line getting its own purple colour. Armadale Line Six level crossings along the Armadale Line between Kenwick and Victoria Park are being removed by elevating the railway on a viaduct. These are Mint/Archer Street, Oats Street, Welshpool Road, Hamilton Street, Wharf Street and William Street. Also, five stations will be rebuilt as new, elevated stations. These are Carlisle, Oats Street, Queens Park, Cannington and Beckenham. Welshpool station will also permanently close due to low passenger numbers and technical difficulties with the elevated viaduct passing over Welshpool Road and then under the Leach Highway bridge. By elevating the rail, new parks and public space will be created underneath the viaduct for the local community. The Armadale line will also be extended to the suburb of Byford with a new station being built approximately south of the Armadale railway station.Armadale station will be rebuilt as an elevated station and 8 other level crossings at Armadale Road, Forrest Road, Church Avenue, Seventh Road (Pedestrian), Byron Road, Eleventh Road, Thomas Road and Larsen Road will be removed. Thornlie Line The Thornlie line will be extended to
Cockburn Central railway station Cockburn Central station ( ) is a bus and railway station on the Transperth network. It is located at the juncture of the Mandurah andonce completed Thornlie lines, from Perth station inside the median strip of the Kwinana Freeway serving th ...
on the
Mandurah line The Mandurah line is a commuter railway and service on the Transperth network in Western Australia that runs from Perth south to the state's second largest city Mandurah. The service is operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the ...
beside the Kewdale White Oil Line. Two new railway stations will be located on this extension,
Nicholson Road Nicholson Road is a major north-south road in the southeastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting Albany Highway in Cannington with the large residential areas of Thornlie and Canning Vale, before leaving the Perth urban area a ...
and
Ranford Road Ranford Road is a major road in the southeastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, and services a number of housing estates in Canning Vale and Southern River, as well as forming part of one of the two major routes between the port city of ...
. Construction started in 2020. As part of this the track between Beckenham Junction and Thornlie station will be duplicated, including through the Kenwick Tunnel. Thornlie station will undergo significant upgrades, with extended platforms for 6-car trains and a new concourse above the tracks. At the 2021–22 State Budget, it was announced that the Thornlie–Cockburn link had been deferred by 12 months, as a result of Western Australia's skills
shortage In economics, a shortage or excess demand is a situation in which the demand for a product or service exceeds its supply in a market. It is the opposite of an excess supply ( surplus). Definitions In a perfect market (one that matches a sim ...
. This was alongside the deferment of 15 other state government infrastructure projects. The revised opening date is . On the 16th of August 2022 it was announced that the opening of these projects would be deferred to 2025 due to the pushback of the Armadale Line Shutdown. Shutdown From Late 2023 for 18 months, the Thornlie Line will completely close. The Armadale Line will close between Victoria Park and Armadale. The Armadale Line will continue to operate between Victoria Park and Perth, additionally calling at Burswood and Perth Stadium. This is to allow for the rebuilding of most of the lines as elevated rail to remove level crossings. This is also to facilitate works on the Thornlie-Cockburn Link and Byford Rail Extension. The Shutdown was originally scheduled to commence in early 2023, but was pushed back to late 2023 so there would be more time for planning and design, and so there would only be impact on one AFL season instead of two.


Patronage

Below is the annual patronage of Armadale and Thornlie lines from 2010 to 2011 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.


Description

During hot weather, the tracks can distort. As a result, on the Armadale line, train speeds are reduced by approximately when the air temperature is above , and by an additional when the air temperature is above . On the Thornlie line, 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 Automatic train protection (ATP) is a type of train protection system which continually checks that the speed of a train is compatible with the permitted speed allowed by signalling, including automatic stop at certain signal aspects. If it is ...
, 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 do ...
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.


Route


Stations

During peak hour times on weekdays, some railway stations are almost always bypassed to enable faster commutes. Express trains also run along the Armadale Line on weekdays, and even often on weekends.


References


External links

{{Public Transport Authority of Western Australia railway stations, Armadale=y, Thornlie=y, state=collapsed Armadale and Thornlie lines Public transport in Perth, Western Australia Railway lines opened in 1889 Railway lines opened in 2005 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia