Perth Airport Link tunnel announced

22 August 2014


AUSTRALIA - Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett has released details of a new 8km long twin tube tunnel, which will be a major part of the AUD 2bn (USD 1.86bn) Forrestfield-Airport rail link in Perth. Construction is due to start in 2016 with completion expected in 2020.

"The rail line will head east from the Midland Line near Bayswater Station and then tunnel under the Swan River and Tonkin Highway before reaching the airport and then go on to Forrestfield," Mr Barnett said.

"This Forrestfield-Airport Link project represents a real game changer in terms of public transport in this city.

"For the first time people will be able to catch a train to the airport and importantly, this will also open up a brand new rail corridor to the eastern suburbs and foothills, allowing a 20-minute rail journey into the Perth central business district.

"It is a key infrastructure project that furthers the long-term strategic interests of the city by opening up Perth's eastern suburbs which in the short term will also create hundreds of construction and engineering jobs.

"This rail line will bring enormous benefits to airport passengers and staff working at the airport. In particular, this will be a boon for Western Australia's thousands of fly-in fly-out workers who will no longer have to drive to the airport and leave cars parked there for weeks on end.

"The tunnels are a really exciting engineering project that also means this railway line can be built in the most timely fashion with the least disruption to residents, businesses, traffic and the airport."

The Premier said the plans showed there would be a station at Belmont near the present domestic terminal, a station under the Consolidated Airport at the current international terminal, and a bus-train interchange station in Forrestfield.

The tunnels, which would become the longest section of underground rail in Perth, are expected to add an extra 20,000 boardings on the Transperth network by 2021.