Metronet ‘circle line’ could rise from ashes if Labor wins another term

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has hinted that Labor’s long-held vision to build a circle route train line around the city could be acted on during the next term of his government.

Labor’s original vision for Metronet in December 2012 included north and south circle routes, while its 2017 election pledge included a vague large circle route connecting the Yanchep line to Fremantle, cutting through the city’s other rail lines.

The Armadale line elevation project. Credit: Metronet

Apart from the Thornlie to Cockburn link, the circle route has always been deemed “stage two” of Metronet and was never fully costed or put to the voting public.

With the completion of the Armadale line elevation and opening of Thornlie to Cockburn pencilled in for later this year, stage one of Labor’s Metronet vision will be complete.

Cook said if elected his government would continue to look at opportunities to expand public transport and that rail was an important part for mass transportation of the population.

Asked to clarify whether that meant the circle route and whether any decisions would be made next term, he said: “Potentially.”

“That’s part of the vision, right? It’s what we talked about in 2013, it’s what we talked about in 2017 and 2021,” he said.

“We’ve now got the Cockburn to Thornlie line, that’s the first part of the circle and so now we need to look at what’s next.”

Cook said his immediate priority when it came to transport next term was the electrification of buses and building an electric ferry network dubbed “Metronet on the Swan”.

During the 2013 campaign, the north circle line was costed at $616 million including two stations in what is now the Morley to Ellenbrook line.

“The line would service stations at Perth Central, Claisebrook, Maylands, Bayswater and Stirling, plus four new stations at Alexander Drive (Malaga), Mirrabooka Avenue (Mirrabooka), Wanneroo Road (Hamersley) and Balcatta,” a statement said at the time.

The Metronet visions from 2013 (left) and 2017 (right).Credit: WA Labor

The southern circle route was never costed, but during the 2013 campaign, Labor said it would connect the Perth Airport line to Fremantle via Yangebup and Coogee in Perth’s southern suburbs.

That 2013 north circle line costing is likely to have escalated significantly over the past 12 years.

Even a hint that the government will consider expanding Metronet further is likely to draw the ire of the opposition, who have campaigned heavily on the cost blowouts of the project.

In 2013, the total cost of the project, including the north circle line was estimated to be $3.8 billion.

In 2017, that was revised down to $2.5 billion with the erasure of the north circle line and addition of four level crossing removals.

Stage one of the project climbed $2 billion in 2023 alone, taking the total cost of the network to around $12 billion.

The Cook government consistently argued this was not all blowout but an increase in the scope of the project, including the significant changes and more level crossing removals in the Armadale line project.

Liberal leader Libby Mettam said the amount of money poured into that project highlighted Labor’s twisted priorities.

“We’re not against public transport, and we’re not against Metronet, we are against mismanagement, and the fact that this government has made this a greater priority, to the detriment of addressing key critical areas across the state,” she said.

Cook defended the cost blowouts, suggesting they would be forgotten eventually like they were on the $960 million Mandurah line project.

“This was a criticism that was labeled after Mandurah line, which no one talks about any more,” he said.

“By and large, I think we managed those projects very well, albeit under difficult circumstances.”