- Government confirms free travel will continue for all regular Armadale Line passengers still impacted by closure
- An additional $1.4 million will be invested to continue the free travel
- Government will announce reopening date for entire Armadale Line soon
- $21.4 million to be invested to permanently retain a number of replacement bus services in the south east of Perth
The Western Australian Government has confirmed the upcoming State Budget will include $1.4 million to extend the free public transport for regular passengers impacted by the Armadale Line closure.
The free public transport will continue to be made available to anyone already receiving the entitlement until their regular station reopens. This includes all stations between Kenwick and Armadale.
The announcement comes as the inner section of the Armadale Line between the city and Beckenham prepares to reopen to passengers tomorrow.
Five new stations will be operational, while finishing works around the stations, including on the new "Long Park", will continue in the coming months.
The inner section will open in conjunction with the new METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Line.
The entire Armadale Line, including the new stations at Armadale and Byford, remains on track to reopen in the coming months, with the government to announce a reopening date soon.
The government also announced today it would invest a further $21.4 million over the coming four years to permanently retain a number of replacement bus services that were put in place during the Armadale Line closure.
These routes have seen high usage and are highly valued by the local community, with strong feedback supporting their retention.
These include:
- route 529, which runs between Armadale Station and Cockburn Central Station;
- route 51, which runs between Cannington Station and Perth Busport via Orrong Road; and
- route 36, which runs between Cannington Station and Airport Central Station.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"We appreciate the community's patience while we deliver this transformative program of works on the Armadale Line.
"We're building incredible new stations, removing dangerous level crossings, turning the rail corridor into a parkland, and upgrading huge sections of track between Beckenham and Armadale.
"We committed to providing free public transport to regular passengers during this closure, and this investment will ensure that continues for everyone still impacted by the closure.
"Works on the Byford Rail Extension have been progressing really well in recent weeks and months, and I look forward to announcing a reopening date for the entire line very soon."
