Western Australia Delivers Landmark $1.1 Billion METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line Expanding Perth Passenger Rail Network

The Largest Rail Expansion in Perth in More Than 16 Years

PERTH, Western Australia — Delivering a generational leap for public transportation in Greater Perth, the Western Australian Government and the Australian Federal Government have officially commenced full passenger revenue operations on the landmark $1.1 billion METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line. Spanning 21 kilometres of newly constructed dual-track passenger railway, the line branches from the completely rebuilt Bayswater Station junction on the Midland Line, heading north through the median of Tonkin Highway to establish a high-frequency transit spine for the city's rapidly expanding north-eastern suburbs.

The project represents the single largest passenger rail network expansion in Western Australia since the completion of the Mandurah Line in 2007. Commuters traveling between Ellenbrook and the Perth Central Business District now enjoy lightning-fast, traffic-free journeys of approximately 31 minutes—halving the travel times previously endured during peak-hour freeway congestion on Lord Street and Tonkin Highway.

Five Brand-New Architectural Stations and Intermodal Hubs

Constructed by the MELconnx Consortium and designed by international architectural practice Woods Bagot, the corridor introduces five state-of-the-art railway stations: Morley, Noranda, Ballajura, Whiteman Park, and Ellenbrook (with strategic land preserved for a future infill station at Bennett Springs East). Each station is sculpted with soaring, weather-sheltered canopies, step-free platform access, and integrated public transit plazas.

Notably, Ellenbrook Station has attained a landmark 6-Star Green Star Design and As-Built rating from the Green Building Council of Australia—representing world leadership in sustainable infrastructure design. The stations incorporate high-capacity park-and-ride facilities, secure bike shelters, and purpose-built bus interchanges coordinated with Transperth feeder bus schedules to ensure seamless last-mile connectivity for tens of thousands of suburban residents.

Honoring Indigenous Heritage with Public Art and Cultural Design

A defining hallmark of the Morley-Ellenbrook Line is its profound integration of local Aboriginal culture. Developed through deep collaboration with Whadjuk Noongar elders and community leaders, the corridor showcases 20 bespoke public art installations created by 14 local and Noongar artists. Integrated into glazed concourse facades, platform undercrofts, and acoustic track barriers, the artworks celebrate eternal connections to Country, native flora, and ancestral watercourses that define the Swan Coastal Plain.

Environmental protection measures were prioritized throughout civil construction. Over 2,000 native trees and thousands of indigenous drought-tolerant shrubs were planted along the alignment, while innovative acoustic ballast layers and noise barrier walls shield adjacent residential communities from operational railway noise.

Unlocking Sustainable Transit-Oriented Growth for North-East Perth

State transport leadership emphasized that the Morley-Ellenbrook Line serves as a vital economic engine for Western Australia. Connecting over 100,000 residents across the Swan and Bayswater municipal districts directly to Perth's employment, educational, and healthcare hubs, the railway supports extensive transit-oriented development (TOD) master plans.

By facilitating dense, walkable town center redevelopments around station precincts, removing tens of thousands of car trips from metropolitan roads each day, and curbing transport-related carbon emissions, the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line stands as a national blueprint for smart, sustainable suburban expansion in Australia.