Anthony Albanese to mark milestone in Metronet project during fleeting visit to Perth

Anthony Albanese will on Tuesday mark a milestone in the Metronet project in a fleeting visit to Perth, with works finished on elevated rail along the historic Armadale train line. Travelling to Perth for less than 24 hours, the Prime Minister will join Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday morning to mark the end of works on the Victoria Park Canning Level Crossing Removal Project. The works, which led to the 18-month closure of the Armadale Line, have removed level crossings — a significant cause of traffic congestion along the line — from intersections at Mint and Archer streets, Oats Street, Welshpool Road, Hamilton Street, Wharf Street, and William Street. It comes after the Public Transport Authority’s annual report revealed the number of category A incidents — events where a person is killed or seriously injured on the Perth rail network — continue to rise, up from 19 in 2021-22 to 57 last financial year. Underneath the four kilometres of viaducts raising the rail, will now sit six hectares of community space, linking up suburbs previously slashed by the 131-year-old Armadale line. Works continue on elevated train stations at Carlisle, Oats Street, Queens Park, Cannington and Beckenham, and the extension of the line to Byford, requiring the full 18-month shutdown through to next May. The closure also allows for the construction and linking of the Thornlie-Cockburn link, through to the Mandurah line. Mr Albanese, who returned from a snap visit to the United States for the Quad meetings on Monday, flew into Perth late on Monday afternoon. “We value Western Australia and want this beautiful city to have the world leading infrastructure it deserves,” he said. “As a heavy lifter of the nation’s economy it is critical that we see benefits flowing back into Perth and Western Australia. “It’s great to be back in Perth to mark this important infrastructure milestone with the Premier that’s creating more than 4300 jobs for West Australians.” Mr Albanese’s return to WA comes after his extended visit to the State earlier this month, along with his Cabinet, in a bid to sure up gains made at the 2022 election. Labor’s election was largely off the back of gains in WA, where it picked up four seats from the Liberals — Pearce, Hasluck, Tangney and Swan, where Tuesday’s event will be held. Premier Roger Cook said Metronet was “transforming Perth suburbs”. “Our elevated rail along the Armadale Line is changing the face of the south-eastern suburbs, delivering new public open space and the quality modern facilities local communities deserve,” he said. “This is what Metronet is all about — better public transport, affordable travel, and creating local jobs across the city.”