The WA government is starting to move on a potential new fast rail from Perth to Bunbury
The Western Australian government has taken its next step towards making its Perth to Bunbury rail service a reality by awarding a $500,00 planning contract to international advisory service KPMG.
KPMG will be tasked with preparing a business case ready for mid-2024 on the social, economic and environmental benefits of constructing a high-level train service from Perth to Bunbury.
Investigations from the federal and WA governments both suggest the new service could operate separately to the existing Australind service, which currently goes to Bunbury’s terminal and carries a multi-stop commuter diesel train.
But reports reveal the Australind service will be interrupted for 18 months due to the upgrade of the Armadale rail line, with the new line planned for WA is set to further connect people with Busselton and Margaret River.
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“The strategic business case is a first step in understanding what a faster public transport link between Perth and Bunbury would look like,” WA transport minister Rita Saffioti says.
“The business case will use population data, travel patterns, land use planning and other metrics to assess the project’s economic, social and environmental benefits.”
Despite these initial movements, Saffioti says even if the study finds the rail service feasible, it is still many years away from being operable.