Early tenders have been released for an 8-kilometre extension to Perth’s Armadale Line, as part of the McGowan Government’s Metronet urban rail program.
A pair of consultancy tenders for the initial development of the Byford Rail Extension have been released to the market.
For the first tender, consultants are being sought to help prepare the project’s business case, with the successful tenderer set to undertake necessary economic analysis for the document.
The second tender is for engineering and land use planning, key work which will also inform the business case.
The current proposal for the Byford Rail Extension is to extend the Armadale Line roughly eight kilometres from Armadale Station to Byford. As part of planning for the project, a further extension to Mundijong will also be considered, the government has said.
“The commitment, Metronet vision and funding for this project is already there – we are now progressing to the business end of the project, just like we promised,” Premier McGowan said.
“We are now looking for local businesses to help with detailed planning so we can bring this project forward into the job-creating construction phase. The Byford extension is a key component of Metronet stage one because it will link one of our fastest growing areas to the rest of our public transport system, providing access to jobs, schools, the airport and the CBD.”
The Government says it expects at least 100,000 more people to move into the area served by the proposed line over the next 30 years.
Transport minister Rita Saffioti said the railway’s catchment was “one of the fastest growing in Australia”.
“Now is the time to strike when it comes to planning for the area’s future,” Saffioti said. “We know from projects like the Mandurah Line that linking our southern suburbs to the rail network can have an incredible transformative effect.”