The Thornlie–Cockburn line is a
suburban rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
way line and service in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia, operated by the
Public Transport Authority as part of the
Transperth
Transperth is the public transport system for Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation, and consists of train, bus and ferry services. Bus operat ...
system. The line branches from the
Armadale line
The Armadale line is a partially-closed suburban railway service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Armadale line is long, and starts at Perth station, heading south ...
in
Kenwick and heads south-west on a route alongside the
Kwinana freight railway and the
Kwinana Freeway
The Kwinana Freeway is a freeway in and beyond the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with Mandurah to the south. It is the central section of State Route 2, which continues north as Mitchell Freeway to A ...
to
Cockburn Central. Thornlie–Cockburn line services continue north-west of Beckenham station alongside
Armadale line
The Armadale line is a partially-closed suburban railway service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Armadale line is long, and starts at Perth station, heading south ...
services, terminating at
Perth station.
The line opened on 7 August 2005 as the Thornlie line, originally a one-station spur off the Armadale line that ran along a single track to
Thornlie station. Thornlie line trains served most stations north of Kenwick on the Armadale line to Perth station, complementing Armadale line trains which ran express through much of this section.
The Thornlie line was temporarily closed on 20 November 2023 for construction work to remove level crossings and extend the line to
Cockburn Central station on the
Mandurah line
The Mandurah line, also known as the Southern Suburbs Railway, is a suburban railway line and service in Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district (CBD) with Mandurah to the south. Operated by the Public Transport Authority ( ...
. Renamed the Thornlie–Cockburn line, it reopened on 8 June 2025 with new stations at
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 ...
and
Ranford Road.
The Thornlie–Cockburn line originated from initial plans for the
Mandurah line
The Mandurah line, also known as the Southern Suburbs Railway, is a suburban railway line and service in Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district (CBD) with Mandurah to the south. Operated by the Public Transport Authority ( ...
, which was to branch off from the Armadale line along the Kwinana freight railway between Kenwick and Jandakot before heading south. The Mandurah line's planned route changed in 2001, but not before rail tunnels in Kenwick and Jandakot had been built. As part of the new plan, a single-station spur line to Thornlie was announced, which would adapt the nearly-completed Kenwick rail tunnel to serve the area that the Mandurah line would now bypass. The main construction contract was awarded to
Barclay Mowlem
Barclay Mowlem was an Australian construction company that traded from 1957 until 2006.
History
Barclay Bros was established in 1957 in Brisbane by brothers Don and Ian Barclay. The company grew to become one of the largest construction firm ...
in 2004 with the line opening the following year.
Plans arose in 2017 to extend the Thornlie line by to
Cockburn Central station on the Mandurah line, a project known as the Thornlie–Cockburn Link. This project is currently being built as part of
Metronet and involves the construction of two new stations. The main construction contract was awarded to a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
between
CPB Contractors
CIMIC Group Limited (formerly Leighton Holdings) is an engineering-led construction, mining, services and public private partnerships leader working across the lifecycle of assets, infrastructure and resources projects.
History
Founded in 194 ...
and
Downer in December 2019 at a cost of
A$716million. Construction started in 2020 and it was expected to be complete in 2023, though it experienced delays and cost increases to A$1.352billion. On 20 November 2023, the Thornlie line was temporarily closed to allow for works on both the
Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal and Thornlie–Cockburn Link projects. The Thornlie–Cockburn line reopened on 8 June 2025 under its new name.
History
Spur to Thornlie
Initial plans for the
Mandurah line
The Mandurah line, also known as the Southern Suburbs Railway, is a suburban railway line and service in Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district (CBD) with Mandurah to the south. Operated by the Public Transport Authority ( ...
had the line as a spur off the Armadale line along the
Kwinana freight railway in the same manner as the present-day Thornlie line. The South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan was released in March 1999, detailing the route and stations along the railway. The South West Metropolitan Railway would have diverged from the Armadale line at
Kenwick, entering a tunnel to pass under the Perth-bound Armadale line track,
Albany Highway
Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, Western Australia, Albany, on the state's South coast of Western Australia, south coast. The highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt (Weste ...
,
Roe Highway
Roe Highway is a limited-access highway and partial freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-western suburbs. The northern terminus is at Reid Highway and Great Northern Highway in Midd ...
, and the freight railway. It would have then travelled parallel and on the southern side of the freight railway, with stations in
Thornlie near Spencer Road,
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 ...
, and in
Canning Vale
Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although unde ...
near
Ranford Road, and provisions for a future station at Karel Avenue to serve
Jandakot Airport
Jandakot Airport is a general aviation (GA) airport in Jandakot, Western Australia that opened in 1963, about south-southwest of Perth Airport.
Originally built on unproductive farm lands, it is now among residential suburbs in the south of ...
. The railway would have then entered another tunnel at
Jandakot, known as the Glen Iris tunnel, to go into the
median
The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
of the
Kwinana Freeway
The Kwinana Freeway is a freeway in and beyond the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with Mandurah to the south. It is the central section of State Route 2, which continues north as Mitchell Freeway to A ...
, continuing south from there to
Mandurah
Mandurah ( ) is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306.
Mandurah's central business dis ...
. Several
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...
s on the freight railway were planned to be replaced by road-over-rail bridges, at Albany Highway, Spencer Road, Nicholson Road, and Karel Avenue.
As part of an extension of Roe Highway from
Welshpool Road to
Kenwick Link and realignment of Albany Highway in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the first stage of the Kenwick tunnel was built and Albany Highway was
grade separated
In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...
from the freight railway. The Glen Iris tunnel was also constructed as part of an extension of the Kwinana Freeway in 2000.
Following the election of the
Labor Party in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, the Mandurah line was rerouted to follow a more direct route along the Kwinana Freeway to the Perth central business district. It was decided to build the Thornlie line as a one station branch of the Armadale line to Spencer Road using the Kenwick tunnel. Building
Nicholson Road station was also considered. A new master plan was released in 2002. Spencer Road was planned to be grade separated and Thornlie station was planned to have a bus interchange and parking for about 450 cars. Patronage for
Thornlie station was projected to be 3,500 boardings per day. Patronage was not forecast to be high enough for Nicholson Road station to be built initially, but it was expected to be built in the future. Train frequencies were planned to be four trains per hour upon opening in December 2004.
New MetroRail
New MetroRail was a division of the Public Transport Authority in Western Australia. It was responsible for managing extensions to Perth's railway network. The project doubled Perth's rail network, which is operated by Transperth, and was com ...
was formed in 2003 as a division of the
Public Transport Authority to manage extensions to
railways in Perth, including the Mandurah line, the Thornlie line, and an extension of the
Joondalup line to
Clarkson station. The second stage contract for the Kenwick tunnel was awarded to
John Holland Group
The John Holland Group is an infrastructure, building, rail and transport business operating in Australia and New Zealand. Headquartered in Melbourne, it is a subsidiary of China Communications Construction.
History
The company was founded in ...
in March 2003 at a cost of
A$14.225million. The second stage consisted of of tunnel; the realignment of of the Kwinana freight railway, which was
leased
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the Lessor (leasing), ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are l ...
by
Australian Railroad Group
Australian Railroad Group (ARG) was an Australian rail freight operator. It began operations in Western Australia on 17 December 2000 following its purchase of the Westrail freight business. It was purchased by QR National in June 2006. The mai ...
at the time; and the construction of
noise walls. The total tunnel length after the two stages was . Workers on the John Holland site went on strike in May 2003 to campaign for better pay and conditions. Construction was also disrupted by a
solidarity strike in January 2005 in relation to pay conditions for workers on the Mandurah line.
A new
traction substation
A traction substation, traction current converter plant, rectifier station or traction power substation (TPSS) is an electrical substation that converts electric power from the form provided by the electrical power industry for public utility s ...
at Beckenham was constructed to power the Thornlie line and provide backup power to the Armadale line, which was mainly powered by a substation at
East Perth
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...
. The contract for that was awarded to
Western Power Corporation in September 2003 at a cost of $3.3million. Other work involved relocating
BP's Kewdale White Oil Line,
which is a pipeline that carries jet fuel, diesel and petrol from the
Kwinana import terminal to
Kewdale via the freight railway.
An
invitation to tender
An invitation to tender (ITT, also known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activ ...
was sent out on 25 June 2003 for the main contract to build the Thornlie line. This involved constructing Thornlie station, of single track railway, a rail bridge across the
Canning River
The Canning River ( or ) is a major tributary of the Swan River in the South West Land Division of Western Australia. It is home to much wildlife including dolphins, pelicans, swans and many other bird species.
Source and route
With headwate ...
and a road bridge for Spencer Road across the Thornlie line and freight railway. The tender was planned to close on 28 August 2003, but that was extended to 16 December 2003.
Barclay Mowlem
Barclay Mowlem was an Australian construction company that traded from 1957 until 2006.
History
Barclay Bros was established in 1957 in Brisbane by brothers Don and Ian Barclay. The company grew to become one of the largest construction firm ...
was announced as the preferred tenderer in February 2004 and was awarded the contract by April 2004. The estimated value of the contract was $30million. By then, the planned opening date was February 2005. Construction had begun by July 2004. Construction was disrupted by strikes. The
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union
The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) is Australia's largest Trade union, union in the construction, forestry, wikt:maritime, maritime, Textile manufacturing, textile, Clothing industry, clothing and Shoemaking, footw ...
and union officials were initially fined for breaching an
enterprise bargaining agreement
Enterprise bargaining is an Australian term for a form of collective bargaining, in which wages and working conditions are negotiated at the level of the individual organisations, as distinct from sectoral collective bargaining across whole indust ...
, but the fines were overturned by the
Federal Court in June 2007. Thornlie station and the Thornlie line were officially opened on 7 August 2005 by Premier
Geoff Gallop
Geoffrey Ian Gallop (born 27 September 1951) is an Australian academic and former politician who served as the 27th premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a professor and director of the Graduate School of Government at ...
, Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
Alannah MacTiernan
Alannah Joan Geraldine Cecilia MacTiernan (born 10 January 1953) is a former Australian politician. From 1988 to 2023, she has served in politics at a federal, state, and local level, including as a minister in the Western Australian state gove ...
, and member for
Kenwick Sheila McHale
Sheila Margaret McHale (born 1 September 1953) is a former Labor Party MP in the Government of Western Australia. Prior to retirement, she served as Member for Kenwick and Minister for Disability Services, Tourism, Culture and the Arts, and ...
.
Full service began on 8 August 2005.
Thornlie–Cockburn Link extension
An extension of the Thornlie line to link up with the Mandurah line had been proposed several times in the 2010s. In December 2012, the Labor Party announced it planned to incorporate the Thornlie line into a loop line to link the proposed
Airport line to 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 ...
via the Armadale and Mandurah lines if it were to win the
2013 state election. This was part of its proposed
Metronet plan. There would have been stations at
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 ...
,
Ranford Road and a station called South Lake at the intersection with the Mandurah line. The Liberal Party won the election, so that plan did not go ahead. In 2015,
RAC WA called for the Thornlie line to be extended to
Cockburn Central station on the Mandurah line. The
Liberal government's 2016 ''Transport @ 3.5 million'' plan called for the extension to be built by the time that
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
reaches a population of 2.7million.
Ahead of the
2017 state election, both major parties committed to extending the Thornlie line to Cockburn Central station. The Liberal government said it could be done at a cost of $520million and be open in late 2023, whereas Labor said it could be constructed for $474million by 2021 as part of its revised Metronet plans. Labor won the 2017 election and planning for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link began in late March 2017. In May, following negotiations between the federal and state governments, it was announced that federal funding for the cancelled
Perth Freight Link would be used on the Thornlie–Cockburn Link, subject to assessment by
Infrastructure Australia. The September 2017 state budget gave the Thornlie–Cockburn Link a cost of $535.8million.
The business case for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link was submitted to
Infrastructure Australia in August 2017. In November 2018, Infrastructure Australia released its assessment of the project, adding the project to the Infrastructure Priority List as a "Priority Project" and giving it a projected economic benefit of $969million and a
benefit–cost ratio
A benefit–cost ratio (BCR) is an indicator, used in cost–benefit analysis, that attempts to summarize the overall value for money of a project or proposal. A BCR is the ratio of the benefits of a project or proposal, expressed in monetary term ...
of 1.2. Other options considered were only extending the Thornlie line to Nicholson Road and having a station there, or only extending the line to Ranford Road and having stations at Ranford Road and Nicholson Road. Extending the line the whole way to Cockburn was found to be the best choice. Infrastructure Australia recommended that the contract for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link be combined with the contract for the
Yanchep
Yanchep is a coastal town north of Perth, Western Australia, north of the Perth CBD. It is a part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. Originally a small crayfishing settlement, it was developed by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 19 ...
Rail Extension of the
Joondalup line to save costs during procurement,
although local contractors expressed concerns that the two projects had different requirements, were in different parts of Perth, and that combining the projects would price out smaller contractors. The Infrastructure Australia assessment allowed $700million in federal funding to be spent on the Thornlie–Cockburn Link and the Yanchep Rail Extension, of which $350million was for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link.
Enabling legislation was introduced to the
Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia, which constitutes the legislative branch of the state's political system. The parl ...
in May 2018 and passed in November 2018.
Scope
The project definition plan, detailing the scope of the project, for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link was approved by state cabinet in July 2018. The project was to involve the construction of two new stations: Nicholson Road and Ranford Road stations, each with two long
island platform
An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...
s, full disabled access, a bus interchange for feeder buses and a
park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
. Nicholson Road station was forecast to have 2,350 boardings per day in 2031 and Ranford Road station was forecast to have 1,985 boardings per day in 2031. of new dual-track railway was to be constructed between Thornlie and Cockburn Central, using the pre-existing Glen Iris tunnel to enter the median of the Kwinana Freeway. Most of this track was to be along the southern side of the freight railway, with the final within the median of the Kwinana Freeway between the two Mandurah line tracks. of single track railway between Beckenham junction and Thornlie station was to be duplicated, including constructing a new bridge across the Canning River. The Kenwick tunnel was already designed for a double tracked railway. To make way for the Thornlie line, of the freight railway was to be relocated slightly north.
Thornlie station was to have its platform's length extended to and be converted to allow for through trains, including the construction of an overpass. Cockburn Central station was to have a new platform extending north from the existing Mandurah line platforms for Thornlie line trains to terminate. A new
footbridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
at Elliot Place was to replace the existing pedestrian level crossing there.
Perth Stadium station was to have its Thornlie-bound platforms extended and additional train stowage capacity at Perth Stadium was planned to be built, allowing for direct special event services to Mandurah via Thornlie.
At this stage, construction was planned to begin in late 2019 and finish in 2021.
Further planning
A
request for proposal was released in September 2018 for the design and construct contract for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link and the Yanchep Rail Extension. Two consortia were shortlisted in April 2019: METROconnex, a joint venture between Coleman Rail,
Clough Group
The Clough Group is an Australian Engineering and Construction company based in Perth, Western Australia. It has projects in engineering, construction, operations and maintenance services, principally in the oil and gas industry.
Formerly list ...
, and
Georgiou Group; and NEWest Alliance, a joint venture between
CPB Contractors
CIMIC Group Limited (formerly Leighton Holdings) is an engineering-led construction, mining, services and public private partnerships leader working across the lifecycle of assets, infrastructure and resources projects.
History
Founded in 194 ...
and
Downer. In November 2019, NEWest Alliance was announced as the preferred proponent to design and build the Thornlie–Cockburn Link and the Yanchep Rail Extension. The following month, the contract was signed. The value of the whole contract was $1.25billion and the value of the Thornlie–Cockburn Link portion was $716million, an increase on the $474million originally promised by Labor. $366million was to be funded by the state government and $350million funded by the federal government. The completion date was delayed by two years to 2023. The delay was blamed on negotiations with BP for relocating the Kewdale White Oil Line and with
Arc Infrastructure
Arc Infrastructure, formerly Brookfield Rail and WestNet Rail, is a rail infrastructure manager and access provider in Western Australia with a long-term lease on the network from the Government of Western Australia. It operates approximately 5 ...
, the new leaseholder of the Kwinana freight railway.
The Thornlie–Cockburn Link received state environmental approval from the
Environmental Protection Authority in August 2019 and federal environmental approval from the
Department of the Environment and Energy
The Department of the Environment and Energy (DEE) was an Government of Australia, Australian government department in existence between 2016 and 2020.
The department was responsible for matters including environment protection and conservatio ...
in early 2020. The main environmental concerns were the impact on wetlands, bushland, and
black cockatoo Black cockatoo is a general descriptive term for cockatoos that are mainly black and may include:
*Palm cockatoo, ''Probosciger aterrimus'', also called great black cockatoo
*Species of the genus ''Calyptorhynchus'':
**Red-tailed black cockatoo, '' ...
habitats, although most of the bushland that was planned to be cleared was degraded.
Bridge widening and construction

To make way for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link, the Karel Avenue and Ranford Road bridges were replaced with longer and wider bridges. The Nicholson Road bridge, which was constructed between December 2016 and May 2018 to replace a level crossing, did not have to be rebuilt as it was designed with the Thornlie–Cockburn Link in mind. The Karel Avenue bridge was originally constructed in 2005 and 2006 to replace a level crossing as part of the extension of Roe Highway from
South Street to the Kwinana Freeway. The bridge's span was not long enough to fit the Thornlie–Cockburn Link though, so it was replaced with a longer and wider bridge between August 2019 and July 2021.
The original Ranford Road bridge opened in 1985 and the second bridge was built alongside the first between 1997 and 1998, widening Ranford Road to two lanes in each direction. The second bridge was designed with the Mandurah line in mind, but nonetheless, both Ranford Road bridges are being replaced for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link so that Ranford Road can be widened to three lanes in each direction plus bus lanes and a shared path. Construction on the new bridge started in late 2020.
The first stage of the new bridge, which consisted of seven beams, opened to traffic in November 2021, after which the two previous bridges were demolished. The remaining three beams of the new bridge were in place by July 2022. The bridge was meant to be completed in 2023, but it eventually opened in May 2024.
Construction
Early works for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link within the Kwinana Freeway were undertaken under a pre-existing project to widen the Kwinana Freeway throughout 2019 and 2020. This involved drainage works and the erection of barriers between the freeway and railway. Thornlie–Cockburn Link construction was underway by the middle of 2020.
The September 2021 state budget revealed that the opening of the Thornlie–Cockburn Link would be delayed by a year to late 2024 due to a skills shortage and to ease pressure on Western Australia's construction industry. The May 2022 state budget revealed that the Thornlie–Cockburn Link's cost had increased by $164.1million, a $243.8million cost increase was revealed in the May 2023 state budget, and a $228million cost increase was revealed in the May 2024 state budget, taking the total cost to $1.352billion.
From 26 December 2021 to 14 January 2022, the Mandurah line was shut down between
Elizabeth Quay station and
Aubin Grove station to facilitate works on the Thornlie–Cockburn Link. This was the longest planned shutdown of a railway line in Perth's history at the time and was done to relocate the Mandurah line tracks between Cockburn Central station and the Glen Iris tunnel to make way for the Thornlie line tracks. The same section of the Mandurah line was shut down again from 26 December 2022 to 3 January 2023, with the exception of
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
. Work undertaken during that period included the installation of
turnouts linking the Thornlie line with the Mandurah line, communication and signalling equipment,
overhead line equipment, and of rail.
Relocating the Kewdale White Oil Line involved of horizontal drilling and about of open-trench digging. An open trench pipeline was originally considered during planning, but the desire to limit disruption to the freight railway meant that predominantly
horizontal directional drilling
Directional boring, also referred to as horizontal directional drilling (HDD), is a minimal impact trenchless method of installing underground utilities such as pipe, Electrical conduit, conduit, or Telecommunications cable, cables in a relativel ...
was the final option chosen.
Drilling was complete by November 2022, after which a bridge across the Canning River for the pipeline was built. The pipeline was shut down between 23 February and 28 February 2023 for the cutover.
In February 2022, it was announced that the Armadale and Thornlie lines would undergo an eighteen-month shutdown for the
Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project
The Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal Project is a project by the Government of Western Australia to elevate part of the Armadale line, thereby removing six level crossings and rebuilding five stations to modern standards. The pr ...
along the Armadale line starting in early 2023. Works would be conducted for the Thornlie–Cockburn Link during the shut down as well, such as duplication of the tracks between Beckenham junction and Thornlie station. In August 2022, the 18-month shutdown was delayed until late 2023, thereby delaying the completion of the Thornlie–Cockburn Link to 2025. The shutdown began on 20 November 2023. Since then, various train replacement bus routes have operated.
Track laying for the relocated freight railway began in mid-2023. This was completed by October 2023, with freight trains running along the new alignment at that point, allowing for tracklaying for the Thornlie line to commence. The first train ran on the Thornlie–Cockburn Link on 20 January 2025. The line reopened on Sunday, 8 June 2025, with a community event held on that day. Regular services commenced the following day.
Future
According to the ''Perth and Peel @ 3.5 Million'' plan, the Thornlie line will eventually form part of a southern loop line around Perth by a link from the Airport line to the Thornlie line and a link from the Thornlie line to the Fremantle line.
Description
The Thornlie-Cockburn line uses
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
track
and has a maximum speed of .
Trains are powered by
overhead line equipment which is powered by a substation in Beckenham.
Before the extension to Cockburn Central, the Thornlie line was
single-tracked from the Kenwick rail tunnel to the approach to Thornlie station. It was the only section of the Transperth network that was single-tracked.
The Thornlie line uses
fixed block signalling
Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways by preventing collisions between trains. The basic principle is that a track is broken up into a series of sections or "blocks". Only one train may occupy a block at ...
. As part of Metronet's High Capacity Signalling Project, the Transperth rail network will be upgraded to
moving block signalling
In railway signalling, a moving block is a signalling block system where the blocks are defined in real time by computers as safe zones around each train. This requires both knowledge of the exact location and speed of all trains at any given t ...
using
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 accura ...
(CBTC). As of 2021, the CBTC system is planned to be implemented on the Armadale and Thornlie lines by June 2031.
[ 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.]
Stations
Thornlie–Cockburn line trains serve 15 stations in total: 11 from
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
to
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...
shared with the
Armadale line
The Armadale line is a partially-closed suburban railway service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Armadale line is long, and starts at Perth station, heading south ...
, 3 solely on the Thornlie–Cockburn line branch, and one shared with the
Mandurah line
The Mandurah line, also known as the Southern Suburbs Railway, is a suburban railway line and service in Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district (CBD) with Mandurah to the south. Operated by the Public Transport Authority ( ...
.
Before the extension to Cockburn Central,
Thornlie station was the only station on the Thornlie line spur, and Thornlie line trains served 11 stations in total.
All stations from Perth to
Oats Street are in fare zone 1,
Queens Park to
Ranford Road zone 2, and
Cockburn Central zone 3.
Platform lengths
Thornlie station's original platforms will be lengthened as part of the Thornlie–Cockburn Link to to accommodate six-car trains, the longest on the Transperth network. All the new station platforms and the Cockburn Central station platform will be long enough for six-car trains as well. Train lengths will be restricted by long platforms on the Armadale line, although these are planned to be lengthened eventually to allow for six car-trains on the Thornlie line.
The first platforms to be extended are planned to be at
Claisebrook and
Victoria Park.
Service
Transperth
Transperth is the public transport system for Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation, and consists of train, bus and ferry services. Bus operat ...
train services are operated by the Public Transport Authority's Transperth Train Operations division. Thornlie line services were suspended on 20 November 2023 and recommenced on 8 June 2025.
Frequency
Thornlie-Cockburn Line trains run every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes during the evening.
Combined with
Armadale line
The Armadale line is a partially-closed suburban railway service in Perth, Western Australia, operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system. The Armadale line is long, and starts at Perth station, heading south ...
services, that results in an overall service frequency of approximately 7.5 minutes between
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
and
Cannington stations during the day, and 15 minutes during the evening. Services operate between approximately 5:00 am and midnight, 7 days a week. Limited late night services also run after midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
Thornlie line peak frequencies are forecast to remain the same until at least 2031, with capacity increases to be provided for by longer trains enabled by platform lengthening.
Before the extension to Cockburn Central, Thornlie line trains ran every 15 minutes during the day on all days except Sunday, when they ran every 30 minutes.
This made the Thornlie line Transperth's least frequent line.
Stops
Thornlie–Cockburn line services run on an 'all stops' pattern, stopping at all stations between Perth and
Cockburn Central, including all stations on the Armadale line between Perth and
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...
.
The exception is during major events at
Optus Stadium where services instead run express between
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
and
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
via
Perth Stadium
Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
then all stations between
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
and
Cockburn Central.
Before the extension to Cockburn Central, Thornlie line services complemented Armadale line services by serving the stations typically skipped by full-length Armadale line services, which usually ran express between
Claisebrook,
Oats Street and Cannington stations.
Thornlie line services would however skip Beckenham station, passing it between Cannington and the Kenwick rail tunnel to
Thornlie station.
During
Perth Stadium
Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
events, Thornlie line services would stop at
Perth Stadium station prior to the event, but would be suspended following a full-capacity event. Increased Armadale line services would instead stop at all stations, and
rail replacement buses would operate between Cannington and Thornlie.
Rolling stock
The Thornlie line was served primarily by
Transperth A-series train
The A-series trains are a class of electric multiple unit built by Walkers Limited in Maryborough, Queensland for Transperth Train Operations, Transperth between 1991 and 1999. When introduced in 1991, the A-series trains became the first elect ...
s, with
Transperth B-series train
The B-series trains are a class of electric multiple unit built by Downer Rail in Maryborough, Queensland for Transperth Train Operations, Transperth between 2004 and 2019.
Design
Each set consists of three semi-permanently coupled cars desi ...
s occasionally used as well. By 2031, it is planned that all A-series trains will be retired, leaving the Thornlie line to be served primarily by B-series trains.
The A-series trains were built between 1991 and 1999 and consist of two cars which are usually joined to form four-car trains. Each car has two doors on each side. The B-series trains were built between 2004 and 2019, consist of three cars each and have two doors on the side of each car. These trains are all primarily stored at
Claisebrook depot.
Patronage
Thornlie station had 578,199 boardings in the 2013–14 financial year.
When the Thornlie–Cockburn Link opens, the line is predicted to have 12,225 boardings per day, rising to 17,425 boardings per day in 2031.
Notes
References
External links
Thornlie Spur Lineon the
New MetroRail
New MetroRail was a division of the Public Transport Authority in Western Australia. It was responsible for managing extensions to Perth's railway network. The project doubled Perth's rail network, which is operated by Transperth, and was com ...
website (archive)
Local Area Updateson the
New MetroRail
New MetroRail was a division of the Public Transport Authority in Western Australia. It was responsible for managing extensions to Perth's railway network. The project doubled Perth's rail network, which is operated by Transperth, and was com ...
website (archive)
Thornlie–Cockburn Linkon the
Metronet website
Thornlie–Cockburn Link environmental assessmentby the
Environmental Protection Authority
{{Railway lines in Western Australia
Transperth railway lines
Railway lines opened in 2005
3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia
25 kV AC railway electrification