The WA branch of the Rail, Trams and Bus Union (RTBU) has raised concerns that Perth’s Forrestfield-Airport Link is being rushed towards its opening date of October 10.
RTBU WA secretary Joshua Dekuyer said the the tunnel was still considered a construction site and had not yet been handed over to the Public Transport Authority for safety assessment.
“If it’s handed over to the PTA just before opening, it limits our members’ ability to ensure that current and accurate and relevant risk assessments are carried out in time,” he said.
Following meetings with the PTA and State Government, Dekuyer said he understood the line will reach ‘practical completion’ and be handed over about a week before services begin, although no date has yet been set.
Not shoring up confidence was the history of the project, which in 2018 saw a worker suffer a serious head injury, before work was delayed for a year because of a sinkhole.
“The METRONET project, and the airport line, are to be commended – but it has been plagued with safety and engineering issues over its construction, testing and commissioning stages,” Dekuyer said.
“I’m sure many of them have been rectified and I believe there’s some that might be still outstanding, but we need to see and need to be made comfortable that all that stuff has been addressed.
“We’re not saying it’s not ready, we’re just saying we just want to be made sure that it is ready.”
The line had been due to open in 2020, but over time that deadline drifted towards the first half of 2022, before the October opening was settled on.
The Airport Line is jointly funded by the Australian and WA Governments, and will be the first passenger rail line to Perth Airport.
The project will deliver three new train stations at Redcliffe, Airport Central and High Wycombe, increasing public transport options for Perth’s eastern suburbs and foothills area.
This will support domestic and international tourism by improving access between the city and Perth Airport, and create new residential and commercial opportunities around Redcliffe and High Wycombe Stations.
It’s anticipated an average of 20,000 passenger trips will be made each day on the new rail line in its first year of service, increasing to 29,000 by 2032.