Northern Suburbs Transit System
Encyclopedia
The Northern Suburbs Transit System is the name given to the project initiated and funded by the Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...

 to provide high-speed passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....

 rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 services to the northern corridor of metropolitan Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

, the capital city of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. The project was commenced by the Dowding
Dowding Ministry
The Dowding Ministry was the 30th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, and was led by Labor Premier Peter Dowding and his deputy, David Parker...

 Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 government in the late 1980s, and its major deliverable was the Joondalup railway line and linked bus services, which has been a core component of the Transperth
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by the Public Transport Authority.-History:...

 transport network since opening to passengers on 21 March 1993. The need for it arose from the rapid and sustained growth of the northern suburbs of Perth during the 1970s and 1980s, which had placed a considerable strain on infrastructure, including the bus system and the Mitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway is a long freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district with its outer northern suburbs. It is allocated Route 2 for its entire length and is named after former state Premier and Governor Sir James Mitchell....

. However, prior to the opening of the railway, the proposal was controversial as many in the community believed that upgrading the Mitchell Freeway or providing a guided busway would deliver better outcomes.

The Northern Suburbs Transit System name has been used subsequently for additions to the line, including the Currambine railway station to Butler
Butler, Western Australia
Butler is an outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 41 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area...

 extension which was built as far as Clarkson
Clarkson railway station, Perth
Clarkson is a Transperth bus and train station located north of Perth, Western Australia, in the suburb of Clarkson. It presently serves as the terminus for the Joondalup Line. It is located east of Ocean Keys Shopping Centre....

 in 2004.

History

The transport needs of Perth's northern corridor were known to be evaluated as far back as 1982, with the preparation of the report Transport 2000 – A Perth Study by the then Office of the Director General of Transport. The report looked at Perth’s transport needs into the 21st century and beyond at a broad strategic level. It provided some strategic travel forecasts, and made a limited evaluation on rapid transit options for the northern corridor.

By the late 1980s, the Mitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway is a long freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district with its outer northern suburbs. It is allocated Route 2 for its entire length and is named after former state Premier and Governor Sir James Mitchell....

 along with major arterial routes servicing the northern corridor were constantly clogged during peak hour, with the community at large dissatisfied with the bus services provided for the region.

The government of the day, after a strong political push, introduced a project for the delivery of a rail service, to known as the Northern Suburbs Rapid Transit System. It was aimed at restructuring the bus network for the northern corridor, while going some way to reduce the dependence on automobiles currently being suffered by the city.

The case for rail

As part of research into community attitudes on public transport within the northern corridor, Donovan Research was engaged during 1987 to undertake focus group and telephone research to determine information on the following key points:
  • Determine people’s overall beliefs and attitudes about and expectations from Transperth
    Transperth
    Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by the Public Transport Authority.-History:...

    ;
  • Determine major perceived issues of importance related to public transport within the region;
  • Ascertain attitudes towards the concept of a transport liaison committee;
  • Measure interest in participation in such a committee;
  • Obtain specific information as to the various aspects of suggested operation of the committee such as communications channels used, method of community participation; and
  • To obtain specific demographic information from respondents.


The focus groups convened consisted of two sub-groups of participants, one consisting of users residing within established suburbs who used public transport, and the other of public transport users from newer and developing suburbs. Combined within these sub-groups were subsets of both regular and irregular users, with regular users being defined as those using public transport at least once per week.

The participants from both sub-groups all held similar views in relation to the public transport, that of bus overcrowding, poor connections, poor timing, and poor route design impacted negatively on their perceptions and opinions of public transport. Over 43% of the participants described the public transport system as it currently stood as either poor or very poor.

Public Transport for Perth’s Northern Suburbs

During its 1986 election campaign platform, the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 stated that "A study will be conducted on the most appropriate form of rapid transit service for the northern suburbs." The study was commenced in early 1988 under the auspices of the then Minister for Transport and Small Business, after receiving Cabinet approval 10 November 1987. Due to the budget position of the then Department of Transport at the time, it was not possible to fund the nine month project from within their existing budget, therefore necessitating a request to Treasury for additional funds. The Minister for Budget Management approved the request for additional funding, allocating A$150,000 (1987) for the study.

Completed in September 1988, the study titled Public Transport for Perth’s Northern Suburbs was delivered by consulting firms Travers Morgan, Pack Poy and Kneebone, Blackwell and Associated, and Uloth and Associates. The study evaluated a number of rapid transport options for Perth’s northern corridor as well as garnering public feedback on the options.

Amongst the methods used to collect data for the report were surveys sent to residents of Beldon
Beldon, Western Australia
Beldon is a small suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Joondalup, to the north of Craigie. Beldon contains two schools — Beldon Primary School and Belridge Senior High School....

, Duncraig
Duncraig, Western Australia
Duncraig is a large northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, Australia, and is located north of Perth's central business district between Marmion Avenue and Mitchell Freeway...

, Balga
Balga, Western Australia
Balga is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located north of Perth's central business district . Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling....

, and Karrinyup
Karrinyup, Western Australia
Karrinyup is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located 12 km north of Perth's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling...

, along with previous respondents to a survey initiated through local papers in December 1987.

It was also at the time members of the then Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

-National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...

 Coalition in opposition and local community groups rallied against what they claimed was the lack of the then government's commitment to transport in the northern corridor.

Opposition Leader Mr Barry MacKinnon called upon the then state government to place plans to construct a new northern suburbs highway on hold, and instead redirect funds to the upgrading an extension of the Mitchell Freeway.
He also commented that northern suburbs residents faced road journeys of up to 1hr to reach the Perth CBD.

This was a view also supported by the then president of the Greenwood, Kingsley, Warwick, and Woodvale Citizens' Association, Mrs Cheryl Edwardes (later the Liberal Member for Kingsley
Electoral district of Kingsley
-External links:* ABC Election Profiles: * WAEC District Maps:...

 and Environment Minister during the Court
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court AC , was a Western Australian politician, representing the seat of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1982 to 2001. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001.Court was born into an old political...

 Government).
Preliminary studies evaluated a number of possible options including:
  • Buses on a separate roadway
  • Guided bus
    Guided bus
    Guided buses are buses steered for part or all of their route by external means, usually on a dedicated track. This track, which often parallels existing roads, excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of reliable schedules on heavily used corridors even during rush hours.Guidance systems...

    way (similar to the Adelaide O-bahn
    O-Bahn Busway
    The Adelaide O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway located in Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn – from the Latin omnibus and the German bahn – was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.The route was introduced in...

    )
  • Light rail
    Light rail
    Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

  • Heavy rail
  • Automated train
    Train
    A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...

    s on a guideway
  • High-capacity monorail
    Monorail
    A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...

  • Automated people mover systems
    People mover
    A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...



The majority of these options were rejected on the basis that introducing another mode of public transport to the city would serve little to no purpose, considering the existing modes of bus and rail proved that they functioned effectively.

A number of routes were examined for use as part of the eventual system, which included:
  • West Coast Highway
    West Coast Highway
    West Coast Highway is a major arterial coastal road located in the western and inner northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, commencing slightly inland in Swanbourne and heading north via the SAS Campbell Barracks and rifle range to City Beach, Scarborough and Trigg, terminating at the...

  • Mitchell Freeway
    Mitchell Freeway
    Mitchell Freeway is a long freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district with its outer northern suburbs. It is allocated Route 2 for its entire length and is named after former state Premier and Governor Sir James Mitchell....

  • West of the Mitchell Freeway
  • East of the Mitchell Freeway
  • Wanneroo Road
    Wanneroo Road
    Wanneroo Road is an important arterial road in Perth, Australia. It is about 75 kilometres long. It links Perth with the City of Wanneroo, and the Towns of Yanchep and Lancelin...

  • Alexander Drive


During the study, various surveys were undertaken to better understand public attitudes towards the transport options that were being considered. In order of preference they selected electric railway (41%), bus expressway (34.4%), guided busway (19.3%). The most important factors of selection were faster journeys, and lower capital costs. However, from those who preferred the electric railway option cited greater comfort, less crowding, and less pollution as important factors in their preference. In addition, quite a number of respondents liked the railway idea due to it being forward thinking.

In his report, then Minister for Transport Bob Pearce
Bob Pearce
Robert John Pearce was an Australian politician, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1977 until 1993 representing the seats of Gosnells and Armadale.-Biography:...

 noted the recommendation by consultants for the implementation of a bus based system using an exclusive route located within in the Mitchell Freeway median. However, he noted that further detailed evaluation of a rail-based option was still being carried out. The report noted that while its preference was to construct a bus expressway, the extension of such a busway beyond Warwick would provide little to no benefits in terms of speed, time, and economics.

During the public debate and discussion over the future of public transportation in the northern corridor, Transportation Minister Bob Pearce claimed that the NSTS would never be built under a Liberal coalition government. In response to the claim, Opposition Leader Barry MacKinnon stated that charge was “totally untrue”.

1989 Transport Study

As part of considerations for a rail line servicing the northern corridor, a comprehensive study was undertaken in 1989 to investegate the best route along with potential station options.

Locations considered for possible station sites in this study included:
  • Burns Beach Road (To include park and ride space due to limitations at Joondalup, rail storage, as well as provide for further extension northward);
  • Joondalup;
  • Ocean Reef Road;
  • Whitfords Avenue;
  • Hepburn Avenue;
  • Dunwood (Named for its location between the suburbs of Duncraig
    Duncraig, Western Australia
    Duncraig is a large northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, Australia, and is located north of Perth's central business district between Marmion Avenue and Mitchell Freeway...

     and Greenwood
    Greenwood, Western Australia
    Greenwood, is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Joondalup. The suburb is located 18 km from Perth's central business district.-History:...

    );
  • Warwick Bus Station;
  • Northern Perimeter Highway (Now known as the Reid Highway
    Reid Highway
    Reid Highway is a major arterial highway in Perth, Western Australia. It is allocated Route 3, and runs between Marmion Avenue, North Beach, and West Swan Road, West Swan, a distance of...

    );
  • Erindale Road;
  • Wishart Street;
  • Cedric Street;
  • McDonald Street;
  • Scarborough Beach Road; and
  • Oxford Street.


At the time, a possible deviation of the rail alignment was considered to directly service the suburb of Innaloo
Innaloo, Western Australia
Innaloo is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and it is located 9 km from Perth's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling....

. However, this idea was rejected by both the project and the public at large due to the significant cost, lack of identifiable benefits, and environmental impact grounds.

At the time, the study predicted that by 2001, the line would achieve 13,000 passenger boardings during peak hour. Over 12,000 of these passengers were predicted to board the services prior to reaching the maximum load point, defined by the report as Scarborough Beach Road.

Alternate suggestions

A number of interesting but, ultimately rejected ideas for possible transportation systems were put forward by various people within the Western Australian business and transport communities.

Personal Vehicle Fast Track System

One of the more interesting proposals for the project was from private industry. A "Personal Vehicle Fast Track System" was being proposed by Mr. Tom Proctor, a private businessman from Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 and Managing Director of Modular Commuting Systems. In his correspondence with the then Acting Deputy Director General for the Department of Transport, he proposed a system where car-like vehicles travelled automatically, suspended from an overhead beam. The car-like vehicles were then used as electronically driven cars on the road once having reached the end of the track network. While Mr Procter pointed out that the system had been selected for use in connecting two shopping centres and other local infrastructure in Campbelltown, New South Wales, the Acting Deputy Director General was not impressed with the concept having shifted a number of times in conversation and there still not a working prototype in place for evaluation.

Linear induction-based rail system

Retired Engineering design consultant John Stephens' said in an interview with the Wanneroo Times that a skytrain system using a linear induction motor would be ideal for use along the Mitchell Freeway. He cited the fact that the proposed network in the middle of the freeway would be an eyesore, and systems installed in Vancouver, Toronto, and Boston have been quite successful and would work well here.

Enabling legislation

State Cabinet gave in-principle support for the construction for the railway and authorised the preparation of enabling legislation on 12 December 1988. The bill passed parliament and was assented to on 15 January 1989.

The first spike for the line was driven on 14 November 1989, by then Premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...

 Peter Dowding
Peter Dowding
Peter McCallum Dowding SC was the 24th Premier of Western Australia, serving from 25 February 1988 until his resignation on 12 February 1990 after an internal party dispute....

.

Project Scope

While the original project to construct the line was known as the Northern Suburbs Transit System, all subsequent projects making additions or upgrades to the line have carried the original project's name.

Original Project

The project was estimated to cost $220 million (1989), including $130 million (1989) for infrastructure including earthworks, bridges, and stations. A further $90 million (1989) would be spent on the purchase of an 22 additional two-car electric trains, now known as the A-series train. The remaining cost of the trains was to be funded from a financing package being drafted by the government.

The proposed rail line would run along the centre of the Mitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway is a long freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district with its outer northern suburbs. It is allocated Route 2 for its entire length and is named after former state Premier and Governor Sir James Mitchell....

, and designed to closely link the new rail infrastructure with bus services through the construction of several interchange stations along the route.

The proposed project initially included:
  • 29.2km of electric rail line from Perth Station
    Perth railway station
    Perth Station including Perth Underground is the largest railway station in Perth, Western Australia, and functions as an interchange between the Transperth Trains Armadale / Thornlie, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland railway lines, as well as the Transwa Australind.-History:The Victorian...

     to Joondalup Station;
  • The construction of seven stations;
  • New footbridges at Oxford Street, Britannia Road, and Leeder Street;
  • Construction of three road and railway bridges at Vincent, Powis, and Scarborough Beach Roads within the freeway reserve;
  • Construction of a new road bridge at Ocean Reef Road;
  • Construction of tunnels at Roe Street, Hodges Drive/Joondalup Drive
    Joondalup Drive
    Joondalup Drive is a main road in the city of Perth, Western Australia. The road cuts through the City of Joondalup's central business district and extends for a few kilometres out towards neighbouring residential suburbs...

    , Collier Pass, Joondalup Drive/Shenton Avenue (Double Segment), and Moore Drive;
  • Replacement of existing pedestrian level crossing at Milligan Street with a Pedestrian Bridge;
  • Construction of new western concourse at Perth station and appropriate facilities; and
  • Passenger Information Systems


Relevant to the project was the realignment of the Mitchell Freeway between Loftus and McDonald Streets. At the time, the northbound and southbound carriages of the freeway in this section were constructed next to each other, with remaining road reserve being located on the outside shoulder. In order to enable the continuous running of the rail corridor down the middle of the freeway, this section of road required realignment. While necessary bridges and some associated works for the realignment were included as part of the project cost, the rebuilding of the section of road in the realigned section was funded separately from the project, using regular road funding sources.

The transit system was designed to provide for a very rapid service, allowing rail cars using the line to operate at speeds of 110 km/h. This would enable a journey from Perth to Joondalup to be completed in approximately 20 min.

Stage One Stations

Stations on the new line to be constructed as part of the projects first stage were:
  • Glendalough
  • Stirling
    Stirling railway station, Perth
    Stirling railway station is a Transperth train and bus interchange located northwest of Perth railway station in Western Australia, on the Joondalup Line.-History:...

  • Warwick
    Warwick railway station, Perth
    Warwick railway station is a Transperth train and bus interchange located north-northwest of Perth railway station in Western Australia, on the Joondalup Line.-History:...

  • Whitfords
  • Edgewater
  • Joondalup


The first stage of the project was expected to be operation by the end of 1992.

Stage Two Stations

Stations on the new line to be constructed as part of the projects second stage were:
  • North Joondalup, which later became known as Currambine


The second stage of the project was expected to be in operation by the middle of 1993.

Future Station options

Future options for stations included:
  • Oxford Street, which later became known as Leederville (Completed)
  • Near Wishart Street, Gwelup
    Gwelup, Western Australia
    Gwelup is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located 12 km north of Perth's central business district along the Mitchell Freeway. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.-History and Environment:...

  • Greenwood (Completed )

Fitzgerald Street Bus Bridge

Already in existence prior to the planning for the line was a level crossing at the intersection of Fitzgerald and Roe Streets. This was to enable buses coming from the nearby Wellington Street Bus Station to connect with Fitzgerald Street and services to the northern and north-eastern suburbs. Due to the location of the Roe Street tunnel, it would be both unsafe and impractical to retain the existing level crossing as it would be situated right at the top of the tunnel entrance, and impossible for train drivers to see any vehicles stuck on the crossing and take evasive action in time. An alternative solution had to be then found to still easily enable bus movements while not impeding on operations within the railway reserve.

One of the ideas for this purpose was the construction of what would have been known as the Fitzgerald Street Bus Bridge. Estimated to cost $2.88 million (1991), it was designed as a flyover from Roe Street, it would accommodate two bus lanes, and a shared use path for pedestrian and cycle movements. To construct the bridge, a significant portion of land occupied by the then Perth City Council (Currently an on-grade public car park) and a number of buildings owned private landholders would have to have been compulsorily acquired and demolished. From there, the southbound carriage of Fitzgerald Street from James Street would have been moved some 100 m to the east to enable the construction of the flyover approach.

The planned bridge was later abandoned, in favour of moving the existing level crossing some 250 m to the west of its old position underneath the Hamilton Interchange approaches.
In 2008 construction began on the Perth Arena Bus Bridge which will offer a similar route to the failed Fitzgerald St option. The new bridge will be launched over Roe street.

Railcar financing

At the time of the project, it was projected that Westrail
Westrail
Westrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...

, then responsible for the provision and management of metropolitan rail transport for Transperth would not be in possession of enough rollingstock to operate the line. Further to this, current available funding levels to the organisation would not permit the purchase of rollingstock from current or future operating funds. On 20 November 1989, the State Cabinet approved Westrail to pursue an operating lease to enable acquisition of the required 22 2-car A-series trains. Subsequently, the contract to purchase trains was awarded to Walkers-ABB on 30 November 1989 despite a funding deal not being in place. It was at this time Westrail sought out a financing arrangement to enable the purchase.

In the end, options for the financing of the purchase came down to two companies, Westpac
Westpac
Westpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....

 and Allco Leasing
Allco Finance Group
Allco Financial Group was a fully integrated global financial services business, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and head-quartered in Sydney, Australia. Major services provided are structured asset finance, funds management and debt and equity funding. Allco has over A$4.3 billion in...

. One of the more interesting notes to the Allco proposal was the nature of the financing arrangements it was proposing. At the time of the proposed financing deal, interest rates within Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 were hovering around 16-17%, placing significant burden on companies of the day in their business dealings. To work around this, Allco proposed a financing structure that involved a cross-border financing arrangement in Japan. It also required the establishment of a special purposes lessor company, incorporated in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...

 in order to minimise withholding tax liabilities from the Japanese and Australian taxation agencies. Allco refused to release specific information on the proposed structure, due to its own internal policies prohibiting the release of specific details of this financing arrangement until it had secured a mandate for their services.

After much deliberation, then Minister for Transport Pam Beggs made a recommendation to State Cabinet on 29 April 1991 that the financing package offered by Westpac be accepted. Her recommendation was subsequently approved by Cabinet on 20 May 1991. The final financial facility provided by Westpac was valued at over $160 million (1991), to be paid off over a period of 20yrs.

However, the setup and establishment of the funding facility was not without significant incident. Substantial argument between the Western Australian Government and Westpac ensued, in respect of liability if Westrail defaulted on payments. Of concern was the recourse Westpac would have against the Western Australian Government Consolidated Revenue Fund, particularly when placed in the context of the Crown Suits Act of 1889 and 1947 if such a default event occurred as perceived by lawyers acting for Westpac,Steve Bartels and Nathan Chapman of Clayton Utz
Clayton Utz
Clayton Utz is a leading commercial law firm in Australia. It is considered one of the Big Six commercial law firms.-Legal services:The firm provides legal services in banking and finance, capital markets and securities, competition, compliance, construction and projects, corporate / M&A,...

.

The legal issues and positions being put forward by Westpac's lawyers was in direct conflict with the position of the Government’s legal advisors on the project, Mallesons Stephen Jacques. The Government's lawyers were of the opinion that Westpac would have reasonable recourse against the Government and its Consolidated Revenue Fund in the event that a default occurred. One solution proposed by Clayton Utz was to enjoin the Minister for Transport as a party to the financing facility contract. However, after further significant problems arose with proposed changes by Westpac in respect of the funding arrangements, their contract for the finance facility was terminated in August 1992.

Currambine to Clarkson Extension

In 2000, the Department of Transport released the report from the Urban Rail Planning and Implementation Steering Committee outlining plans for the extension of the line from Currambine to Clarkson, and continuation to a new railway depot to be located at Nowergup
Nowergup, Western Australia
Nowergup is a rural locality about north of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wanneroo.-History:The suburb of Nowergup takes its name from Lake Nowergup...

, within the site of the future Mitchell Freeway reserve. This was brought about by a commitment from the then Court
Court-Cowan Ministry
The Court-Cowan Ministry was the 32nd Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, and was led by Liberal Premier Richard Court and his deputy, the Nationals' Hendy Cowan. It succeeded the Lawrence ministry on 16 February 1993, following the defeat of the Labor government at the 1993 election...

 Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

 Government that they would extend the Joondalup Line from Currambine to Clarkson within their current term of government. The report was undertaken following the completion of the South West Metropolitan Railway (SWMR) Master Plan, which was the core basis for the Mandurah railway line and associated works.

Estimated at $81 million (2000), the report called for the undertaking of the following works necessary to complete the project:
  • The amendment of the Metropolitan Region Scheme to excise of 202 hectares of land from the adjoining Neerabup National Park, while returning some 572 hectares back to the park in the same adjustment;
  • Acquisition of relevant lands, funded from the 2000/2001 state budget;
  • The construction of a new Currambine Station to a location within the middle of the Mitchell Freeway road reserve, along with associated approach works;
  • Demolition of the previous Currambine Station, including associated sidings and rollingstock cleaning facilities;
  • Construction of the Clarkson Station and associated works;
  • Construction of a rail bridge at Burns Beach Road;
  • Construction of a road bridge at Hester Avenue;
  • Construction of a new rail depot at Nowergup;
  • Construction of the rail reserve and 4 kilometres of railway track from Burns Beach Road to Nowgerup, along with associated necessary works including communications and signalling;
  • Upgrade of existing station platforms along the line to a length of 144 m to accommodate 6-carriage rollingstock; and
  • The purchase and delivery of new rollingstock at a cost of $23 million (2000).


The plan also recommended the delaying of construction for Greenwood Station, which the report felt could not be adequately serviced until additional rollingstock was delivered.

The cost of the project was to be funded from government borrowings over four years from 2001 to 2004.

The supply of additional rollingstock was critical to the completion of this project particularly when placed in the context of the future planned rail needs for Perth. At the time, existing rollingstock was being utilised to maximum capacity, and based on future projections that included the operation of a fifth railway line and passenger numbers modelling, the size of the existing fleet would simply not be able to cope.

Relocation of Currambine Station

At the time of the project's proposal, there was significant community discussion relating to the relocation of the Currambine Station into the middle of the freeway reserve. In the 1989 master plan, the location of the station was designed to reduce the ‘transfer penalty’ for moving from train to bus/car and to better integrate with the surrounding suburb.

The committee took these issues into account when delivering its final report, and noted that the relocation was seen as having major environmental and social benefits improved frequency, journey speed, and reliability would be more significant factors than an additional 60 m walk. The report noted that this viewpoint was supported by the fact that Warwick and Whitfords were at the time the busiest stations on NSTS, attracting a combined 18,000 passenger movements on weekdays. 60% of these passengers neither arrive or depart by bus and instead arrive by car or walking some 55 m across the Mitchell Freeway carriageways. Passenger modelling found that the relocation to the station would have no effect on project passenger boardings if the relocation were to proceed.

Further to this, the relocation would help retain consistency with rest of the line and the future SWMR, further supported in surveys and opinion polls undertaken with residents from Glen Iris, South Lakes and Atwell and commercial business as part of SWMR planning processes.

If the railway station and subsequent rail reserve had been allowed to remain on the western side of the freeway, there would have been significant impacts to the cost of the project through increased expenditure on noise reduction and engineering works.

New Railway Depot

While Nowergup was selected as the final site for the planned railway depot, Neerabup was suggested as the original site. However, as the new railway depot would require some 300 m of space within the middle of the freeway reserve, it would significantly impact on a larger footprint of the Neerabup National Park. Based on an environmental assessment, it was recommended that the depot be relocated to a site in Nowergup to have a lower environmental impact while retaining larger areas of the park in pristine condition.

Parking and Facilities

One of the other major issues noted in the report was the availability of parking at stations along the line. One of the key features of the Greenwood Station was to be additional parking to negate the construction of a multi-story parking deck at both Whitfords and Warwick Stations. This was in addition to the construction of a further 240 car parking bays at Whitfords Station, costing $780,000 (2000) on the southern side of the station. Construction of a multi-story parking structure at Warwick was still not considered as an option due to a number of social and environmental concerns still considered valid.

Clarkson to Butler extension

More recently, the state government has announced a further extension to the line, adding 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) and taking it as far as the northern suburb of Butler
Butler, Western Australia
Butler is an outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 41 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area...

. Previously, Alannah MacTiernan, former Planning and Infrastructure Minister, announced that funds of $2.1 million (2007) had been set aside in the 2007-08 state budget
Government budget
A government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. For example, only certain types of revenue may be imposed and collected...

 for the Public Transport Authority to undertake preparation of the master plan for this segment of works.

Some of the groundwork for this portion of works was laid in the previous Clarkson to Currambine extension, with the rail surface necessary for access to the Nowergup railway depot already constructed as a two track reserve. This is in addition to the planning for the prior section recognising the need to further extend the railway beyond the depot to areas further north.

At present, preliminary earthworks are in place and construction is expected to commence in 2011, with services operational by the end of 2014.

Further reading

  • Johnstone, Peter (1989) The Northern Suburbs Railway Perth, W.A. Department of Transport, W.A, DOT report; no. 332
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