Way cleared for construction of SW Metropolitan Railway to Mandurah.

26/11/99
Transport Minister Murray Criddle said today that State Parliament had passed legislation clearing the way for the construction of the South West Metropolitan Railway to Mandurah and the extension of the Northern Suburbs Transit System, initially to Clarkson.
Mr Criddle said the Railway Northern and Southern Urban Extension Bill was in line with the State Government's endorsement of the South West Metropolitan Railway Master Plan in March this year and its desire to extend the railway to Mandurah by 2007.
It also supported the Coalition Government's election commitment to extend the Northern Suburbs Transit System to Clarkson. The draft master plan for the northern extension has just been completed.
"Passage of this Bill endorses the construction of approximately 74km of new railway and the development of 10 new stations on the railway to Mandurah as well as the new station at Clarkson," the Minister said.
"When completed we will have 115km of north south urban rail serving communities between Mandurah and Clarkson. There are long term plans to ultimately extend the railway north of Clarkson to Two Rocks and beyond."
The enabling legislation will permit the construction of two railway tunnels under the Kwinana Freeway at either end and the widening of the Kwinana Freeway median along which the railway will run, from Jandakot to just north of Kwinana.
"These works are part of a contract that includes building five new traffic flyovers to replace traffic lights on the Kwinana Freeway and extension of the freeway to Safety Bay Road," Mr Criddle said.
"It is expected that the railway works in this contract, which are valued in the order of $36 million, will be completed around the end of the year 2001.
"Freeway work associated with the South West Metropolitan line is in addition to the first stage of a railway tunnel costing around $12 million and now under construction at Kenwick and scheduled for completion in the middle of 2001."
The Minister said that passage of the legislation allowed the commencement of work to extend the Northern Suburbs Transit System in July next year when amendments to the Metropolitan Region Scheme and associated environmental clearances were expected to be in place.
Media contact: Doug Cunningham on (08) 9321 7333