All aboard as the new Perth-to-Mandurah Railway begins

23/12/07
Western Australia's new $1.32billion, 72km Perth-to-Mandurah Railway service has officially begun today.
This morning, Premier Alan Carpenter and Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan joined 1,500 people to make the historic inaugural journey from the new Perth Underground station to Mandurah.
The Premier said the $1.32billion Perth-to-Mandurah Railway was the jewel in the crown of the State Government's $1.66billion New MetroRail project, the biggest-ever public infrastructure undertaking in WA.
"This project is a credit to everyone who worked on it, and especially to the dedication of Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan," Mr Carpenter said.
"This railway becomes part of a 105km public transport spine for our city, from Clarkson to Mandurah, helping thousands of people link more easily with friends and family, jobs, education and enjoyment.
"The new line is expected to carry 50,000 passenger journeys and take up to 21,000 cars off the Kwinana Freeway each working day.
"It will also create new, less car-dependent residential areas and help generate new commercial development along its route."
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the opening was a great moment for the thousands who worked on the transformative project - from the original planners, engineers and project managers to the tradesmen, apprentices and labourers who built it.
"Most of all, this is a magnificent day for the people of the southern suburbs and Mandurah who never lost their enthusiasm for the rail project," Ms MacTiernan said.
"With stunning views of the Swan and Canning Rivers and the bushland along the route, together with the attractions of Mandurah's beaches and foreshore, inevitably the railway trip will become a must do for visitors to WA."
The Perth-to-Mandurah Railway is part of the $1.66billion New MetroRail project which includes:

• a four-kilometre extension from Currambine to a new station at Clarkson in the north of the city;
• a 3.4km spur line from Cannington to Thornlie;
• 31 new three-car trains; and
• 11 new railway stations including the Esplanade Station on Perth's foreshore and the new Perth Underground station at William Street.