Transportation Planning Casebook/Metronet Western Australia

Summary
Metronet is one of the largest infrastructure construction projects undertaken by the Western Australia government for the extension of railway lines. Around 72km new passenger rail line is proposed along with 23 new stations and is said to develop 8000 hectares of land around the stations for housing, work, and recreation. The total cost of the project according to data from the 2023-2024 WA Budget projects a cost of 10.5 billion AUD, an overall increase from the Labour Governments' 2.5 billion AUD projections in 2017. The main objective of Metronet is to promote economic growth by creating greater accessibility to Perth. The introduction of Metronet project has generated jobs in the rail manufacturing in Western Australia for the first time in approximately 30 years, trains will be created and engineered in Western Australia. Metronet also aims to implement three main strategies (Gnarla Biddi Aboriginal Engagement Strategy, Public Art Strategy and Sustainability Strategy) with the aim to create unity in the community and create opportunities for residents. Furthermore, the addition of the Metronet is also expected to benefit North-East and South-East areas of Perth by creating more housing opportunities due to the greater accessibility to these areas which can be attributed to Metronet.

Maps of Locations


Metronet consist of 15 individual projects:


 * Forrestifield-Airport Link
 * Morley-Ellenbrook Line
 * Thornile-Cockburn Link
 * Yanchep Rail Extension
 * New Bayswater Station
 * New Lakelands Station
 * New Midland Station
 * Beilevue Railcar Manufacturing and Assembly Facility
 * Mandurah Station Multi-Storey Car Park
 * Denny Avenue Level Crossing Removal
 * Victorica Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal (five crossings and elevated rail)
 * Byford Rail Extension (including Thomas Road Bridge Over Rail)
 * High-Capacity Signalling Project
 * Public Transport Operations Control Centre
 * Greenwood Multi-Storey Car Park

The locations of the stations are either completely new or an upgrade to the existing station and lines on the previous train network. According to Metronet Caledonian Avenue Level Crossing Removal, Claremont Station, Denny Avenue Level Crossing Removal, Forrestfield-Airport Link, Lakelands Stations and Mandurah Station Multi-Story Car Park are the only completed projects with the remaining projects currently under construction or yet to have construction take place.

Cost Overrun
The total cost of the Metronet project has quadrupled to $11.5 billion from the original estimate of $3 billion in 2017. Though there were changes in scope of project that led to some increase in the cost but overall, the project cost has increased considerably.

Time Overrun
It has already been more than six years since the commencement of Metronet project and many components are yet to be completed. Time overrun has increased total project cost and has delayed using services on time.

Railcar Manufacturing
The sustainability of railcar program can be realized only if the manufacturing of railcars can be done on such a scale that it can become an exporter otherwise it will not be a good investment of tax-payers money.

Aboriginal Procurement Policy 2017
The policy targets to provide 3% of State Government and Metronet contracts with value greater than $50,000 to registered Aboriginal businesses. This can be a challenging task to achieve giving the open competition method in procurement processes.

Narrative of the Case
The Public Transport Authority (PTA) is the major organization that provides public transport services in Western Australia. PTA, through its Transperth division, provides bus services, urban train transport and ferry services in the greater metropolitan area of Perth. The train service comprises more than 180km of rail serving 72 stations. The network comprises five main lines, namely the Armadale/Thornlie line, Fremantle line, Joondalup line, Midland line and Mandurah line. The Metronet project will assist the Western Australia Government’s Perth and Peel @3.5 million by providing a well-connected transport link along with new housing schemes and employment opportunities for people in the metropolitan area of Perth. The Metronet railway system in Western Australia is currently being operated and new lines are being developed to create a more integrated Perth with more transport, employment opportunities and housing. The main objective of the Metronet is to support economic growth, create better connectivity and access to jobs and businesses, create infrastructure that promote easy and accessible travel and lifestyle, create communities with a sense of support and belonging, plan for the future growth of Perth and to lead a cultural shift in the way sectors such as the government, industrial and private can work together to achieve integrated transport solutions and land use.

The Metronet is an important project in Western Australia for many reasons, the main reason is that it upgrades the current rail network by providing new trains and new stations to the system. In addition, the Metronet planned projects are a major stepping stone for the planned economic development and growth of Perth. Some of the planned stations are projected to increase housing prices as there will be more accessibility to these places. In addition, the Metronet also has generated jobs in Perth as it has created greater accessibility and with the Western Australia Railcar Program with the goal to produce 246 new C-series railcars replacing the old A-series trains and six new diesel trains, it has created jobs in train building in Western Australia which is the first time in approximately 30 years since train manufacturing was around in Western Australia.

The addition of new lines through the Metronet is predicted to generate interest in locations and influence property values particular in places in the North-East and South-East of Perth. Furthermore, places such as newer suburbs such as Brabham and Dayton will also benefit from the introduction of the new Metronet as it provides more housing options and easier travel for residents in Perth.

The Metronet project aims to connect Perth with three core strategies Gnarla Biddi Aboriginal Engagement Strategy, Public Art Strategy and Sustainability Strategy. The Gnarla Biddi Aboriginal Engagement Strategy is long-term strategy to create engagement with the Aboriginal community. The program was endorsed by the Whadjuk and Gnaala Karla Booja working parties. The strategy is supported by five engagement streams of Noongar cultural recognition, Noongar cultural input into place making, Aboriginal procurement, Aboriginal employment and land access and site management.

Public Art Strategy aims to create a legacy of transformative transport infrastructure and to create a unique identity of each station and precinct. The strategy will guide public art delivery, take creative inspiration from Perth’s Aboriginal and local history, land, locations and culture.

The Sustainability Strategy revolves around the application of high-level principles that provide a framework for transport infrastructure and station precinct projects during the planning, procurement design and construction stages.

Discussion Questions
1. How long we must wait for major infrastructures (railway tracks and stations) to be completed in the Metronet Project?

2. How will the funding for Metronet change in the future considering time and cost overrun and the state election in 2025?

3. Will the station precincts develop in the way Metronet has imagined, increasing density, job opportunities, commercial activities, and recreational activities, and when?

4. How will the WA Railcar Program shape the future of manufacturing trains and development in Western Australia?

Additional Readings
1. METRONET Station Precincts Gateway

The document analyzes the characteristics of each station precincts that will help in future development of precincts.

URL: https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/Portals/31/METRONET%20Station%20Precincts%20Gateway.pdf?ver=4kwHHxUjmHZk2ag-at9SVA%3d%3d

2. NEWest Alliance Annual Sustainability Report 2023. Yanchep Railway Extension and Thornlie-Cockburn Link

URL: https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/Portals/31/Project%20Documents/Thornlie-Cockburn%20Link/2023%20Annual%20Sustainability%20Report%20-%20Thornlie-Cockburn%20Link%20and%20Yanchep%20Rail%20Extension.pdf

3. New Midland Station SUMMARY PROJECT DEFINITION PLAN NOVEMBER 2020

URL: https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/Portals/31/Project%20Documents/Midland%20Station/Midland%20Station%20Project%20Definition%20Plan.pdf

4. Morley Station Precinct Concept Master Plan

URL: https://www.metronet.wa.gov.au/Portals/31/Project%20Documents/Morley-Ellenbrook%20Line/Morley%20Station%20Precinct%20Concept%20Master%20Plan%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf