Labor promises Ellenbrook rail line
Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has promised to “right a wrong” and build a rail line to Ellenbrook if elected.
Mr McGowan said the Barnett Government “broke the hearts of the people of Ellenbrook and the north-east corridor of Perth” by matching Labor’s promise to build it after the last election, only to renege.
Releasing new details of the plan today, Mr McGowan said the Ellenbrook line under Labor’s Metronet public transport blueprint would cost an estimated $863.5 million including rail and road infrastructure, but not rail cars.
It would start during 2014-15 and be completed at the end of 2018.
The line would be 21km long and require five new rail stations to be built at Morley (Walter Road), Noranda, Bennett Springs, Whiteman and Ellenbrook.
The Ellenbrook rail line would link with the existing Midland line east of Bayswater Station to head north up the Tonkin Highway.
After leaving the Noranda station it would veer east along Reid Highway and north along the transit reserve alongside Lord Street.
New highway interchanges would need to be built at Morley-Tonkin, Benara-Tonkin, Collier-Tonkin and Reid Tonkin.
“It is needed,” Mr McGowan said.
“This is a poorly-serviced area by public transport and by roads. It’s hard for families to go about their daily business at the moment and without a rail line it will get much, much worse.”
The Ellenbrook rail line is the second of five “priority” Metronet projects detailed by Mr McGowan in the space of two days.
Yesterday, he promised to build a rail line from the Midland line to Forrestfield, via Perth Airport, at a cost of $731 million.
Labor has costed the “priority” Metronet projects at $3.8 billion over eight years.
