Armadale and Thornlie railway lines


The Armadale railway line is a suburban railway line in Western Australia that runs from Perth to Armadale, and continues as the South Western Railway to Bunbury. The line crosses the Swan River at East Perth via the Goongoongup Bridge, and formerly had crossed it via the Bunbury Bridge.
The Thornlie railway line is a spur line branching off the Armadale line between Beckenham and Kenwick stations that opened on 7 August 2005.

History

The Armadale line opened on 2 May 1889. An 1891 contract tender described the route of the new line from East Perth to Pinjarra:
The original stations in 1889 were Perth, Welshpool, Kelmscott and Armadale. Cannington, although operational in 1889, was opened in 1893.
The following stations were opened:
In September 1991, the line commenced electrified operation.
Between 2004 and 2005, Armadale, Carlisle and Gosnells were upgraded to provide better facilities to passengers and provide better access between trains and buses. Lathlain station was closed on 3 February 2003 as part of the project.
Thornlie was opened on 7 August 2005. The station is built on a spur line of the Armadale Line.
Between 21 March 1993 and 8 August 2005, trains on the Armadale line continued through Perth to the Joondalup line. In 2004 new railcars were introduced, which became exclusive to the Joondalup line. From 2005 until 2012, Armadale Line trains did not run through Perth to the other lines but on 20 August 2012, as part of works relating to the Perth City Link project to sink the Fremantle line, services from Fremantle connected to the line until the tunnel was opened on 18 July 2013 which saw the Armadale Line terminate in Perth again.
Victoria Park and Kelmscott Stations were upgraded between 2007 and 2008 as part of the Public Transport Authority's 'Building Better Stations' program. Victoria Park station was opened on 20 July 2008. and Kelmscott was opened on 21 November 2008.
As part of the new Perth Stadium project, Belmont Park station closed on 13 October 2013. Perth Stadium station was opened in 2018 to replace it.

Extensions

As part of the Metronet project, both the Armadale main line and the Thornlie spur line will undergo extensions. The Armadale line will be extended to the suburb of Byford with a station being built approximately south of the Armadale railway station.
The Thornlie spur line will be extended to Cockburn Central railway station on the Mandurah railway line. Two new railway stations will be located on this extension, Nicholson Road and Ranford Road. Construction.

Patronage

Below is the annual patronage of Armadale and Thornlie railway lines from 2010–2011 financial year. Figures are provided as total boardings, which includes all fare-paying boardings and free travel on stations within the free transit zones as well as transfers between stations. The figures for rail replacement and special events services are not included in the total.




Railway stations

During peak hour times on weekdays, some railway stations are almost always bypassed to enable faster commutes. Express trains also run along the Armadale line on weekdays, and even often on weekends.

Disused stopping patterns