With buses replacing trains, Perth prepares for commuter chaos as its CBD rail hub closes tonight
July 12, 2013
Perth’s commuters were warned about it, and the day has arrived as a series of rail shutdowns start at 7pm tonight in the central business district.
Perth Station, Perth Underground and the entire Fremantle line will close at 7pm for five days.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell has urged Perth commuters to plan around the rail shutdown to allow final work on the new Fremantle rail tunnel as part of the Perth City Link project.
The first trains will pass through the newly-connected tunnel next Thursday, July 18.
Buswell says the tunnel work was pivotal to the Perth City Link project which sinks the Fremantle rail line, reconnecting the city centre with Northbridge for the first time in more than 100 years.
Transperth has scheduled extra buses during the closures. It has also scheduled five daily non-stop ferry trips from Fremantle to Barrack Street.
Buswell says the closure was the first of two needed to complete work on the 600 metre-long tunnel – part of the Western Australian Government’s transformation of the heart of Perth.
“This work is absolutely essential to this development which will change the face of Perth. It will allow the new Fremantle line tunnel to be connected to the Transperth rail network,” he says.
“There is simply no other way to get the Fremantle line up and running through the tunnel than to close these parts of the network while the work is being undertaken.
“Even though Transperth has extra buses running, there are likely to be some delays, so passengers should plan their journeys and allow for additional travel time.
“I know this will be inconvenient for many people but I want to thank them for being patient and to ask them to understand that this project is a key part of the delivery of a world-class development.”
The second closure of the Fremantle line takes place between July 31 and August 4 to allow more work.