Hon Steve Martin questions the Minister for Transport regarding delays in the Armadale line reopening, bus replacement service usage, and pier/beam issues, seeking specific dates, figures, and explanations. The Minister provides some data but defers on the opening date.

AnsweredQoN 22Legislative Council
Asked
8 April 2025
Portfolio
Transport

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to news that the re-opening of the majority of the Armadale line, from Kenwick to Byford, has been delayed for "a few months", and I ask: (a) on what date will the Kenwick to Byford part of the line be opened; (b) how many people have been using the bus replacement service on average, per weekday, since the closure of the line; (c) how many people were using the Armadale line service on average, per weekday, before the closure in November 2023, over the 12 months before the closure of the line; (d) in relation to the piers and beams issues which caused the further delay, what was the issue; (e) in reference to (d), what steps are being taken to resolve the issues with the piers and beams; and (f) noting the Minister's comments in the WA Today article titled, "Broken promise: State delays Armadale train line reopening", published on 31 March 2025, that there would be no further cost blowouts, how is it that an extended construction timeframe of "a few months" could not result in further costs?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
20 May 2025
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport
Response time
6 days
(a)        An announcement on the specific opening date will be made in due course.
(b)       On average, there have been 20,000 boardings per weekday during the shutdown on train replacement services and train services between Victoria Park and Perth.
(c)        On average, there were approximately 24,000 boardings per weekday on the Armadale-Thornlie Lines prior to the shutdown.
(d)-(f)  On routine inspection, it was found there was a slight misalignment of a number of elastomeric bearing pads that sit between the pier and the beam. These have been replaced.

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more