The upcoming federal budget will include $1.05 billion in funding for Western Australia’s Metronet passenger rail overhaul program, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced.
Turnbull visited Perth for the first time in five months last week, stopping there on his way back from Europe.
“We are putting money big money into metro rail around the country now,” the PM told local radio host Oliver Peterson on Friday.
“That’s an innovation of my government because before I was prime minister, federal governments basically didn’t get involved in urban rail. I think it’s very important that we do.”
$500 million of the newly-announced funding will go towards building the $1 billion Morley-Ellenbrook Line. $241 million will help fund the $481 million extension of the Armadale Line to Byford, and $83 million will fund just over half of the Midland Station relocation. All three projects are still listed as being in their preliminary planning phases by the WA Government.
A further $2 million in federal money will fund a business case for a railway station at Lakelands, while $226 million in additional federal funding will “support other Metronet related projects”.
“This significant infrastructure package will provide a major boost to WA’s local economy, with many thousands of jobs expected to be created during construction,” Turnbull said.
Speaking on the radio, the PM praised the work of Curtin University professor of sustainability Peter Newman, saying Newman had a “big brain,” and had helped promote Perth as a leading city for passenger rail.
“You know what Western Australia has done a fantastic job on metro rail. Led the way at a time when other states were doing nothing. It’s actually got on with it,” Turnbull said.
“But you’ve obviously got to do it on the right terms and as Peter Newman says – you’ve got to look at the rail development with the eye of maximising the amenity, the liveability, the potential for transit-based development and so forth instead of just doing what a lot of transport engineers have done in years past – just finding the best alignment between a and b.”
The upcoming federal budget will include $1.05 billion in funding for Western Australia’s Metronet passenger rail overhaul program, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced.
Turnbull visited Perth for the first time in five months last week, stopping there on his way back from Europe.
“We are putting money big money into metro rail around the country now,” the PM told local radio host Oliver Peterson on Friday.
“That’s an innovation of my government because before I was prime minister, federal governments basically didn’t get involved in urban rail. I think it’s very important that we do.”
$500 million of the newly-announced funding will go towards building the $1 billion Morley-Ellenbrook Line. $241 million will help fund the $481 million extension of the Armadale Line to Byford, and $83 million will fund just over half of the Midland Station relocation. All three projects are still listed as being in their preliminary planning phases by the WA Government.
A further $2 million in federal money will fund a business case for a railway station at Lakelands, while $226 million in additional federal funding will “support other Metronet related projects”.
“This significant infrastructure package will provide a major boost to WA’s local economy, with many thousands of jobs expected to be created during construction,” Turnbull said.
Speaking on the radio, the PM praised the work of Curtin University professor of sustainability Peter Newman, saying Newman had a “big brain,” and had helped promote Perth as a leading city for passenger rail.
“You know what Western Australia has done a fantastic job on metro rail. Led the way at a time when other states were doing nothing. It’s actually got on with it,” Turnbull said.
“But you’ve obviously got to do it on the right terms and as Peter Newman says – you’ve got to look at the rail development with the eye of maximising the amenity, the liveability, the potential for transit-based development and so forth instead of just doing what a lot of transport engineers have done in years past – just finding the best alignment between a and b.”