Батыс Аустралиядағы Мандура желісі

Commuter rail line in Perth, Western Australia

The Mandurah line is a commuter railway and service on the Transperth network in Western Australia that runs from Perth south to the state's second largest city Mandurah. The service is operated by Transperth Train Operations, a division of the Public Transport Authority. The line is long and has 12 stations. At its northern end, the line (travelling south) begins as a continuation of the Joondalup line at Perth Underground, and (travelling north) ends as a continuation of the Joondalup line at Elizabeth Quay. The first of the line is underground, passing under the Perth central business district. The line surfaces and enters the median of the Kwinana Freeway just north of the Swan River. It continues south down the freeway's median for , before veering south west towards Rockingham. The final stretch of the line goes south from Rockingham to Mandurah. Planning for a railway line to Mandurah began in the early 1990s, during the construction of the Joondalup line. The first route proposed was an extension of the Fremantle line to Mandurah passing directly through the Rockingham town centre. The preferred route was later changed to a spur off the Armadale line at Kenwick via Thornlie for reasons of cost. Following a change in state government in 2001, the route was changed again, this time to a direct route along the Kwinana Freeway south of Perth with Rockingham station relocated to align with the more direct route. Construction began in March 2004. The underground portion of the line, between Perth and Esplanade station, was the first section to open. It began operating on 15 October 2007. The rest of the line opened on 23 December 2007. Two new stations have since been opened in 2017 and 2023, with a third station currently in planning. The line will be connected to the Armadale line via Cockburn Central and the Thornlie line. Trains take 51 minutes to get from Perth Underground to Mandurah station. The line is the busiest on the Transperth network, with 17,669,846 boardings in the 2022–23 financial year. Headways are at least every 15 minutes during the day, rising to every 5 minutes on parts during peak time.

Just as detailed planning for the Northern Suburbs Transit System was underway, the South West Area Transit (SWAT) Study was formed in February 1989 to examine the possibilities for extending Perth's rail services to the city's south west. A SWAT report was released in 1990 recommending a rapid transit system to Rockingham and Mandurah. The two options the report considered were an extension of the Fremantle line or a spur off the Armadale line at Kenwick. Both of these options would utilise pre existing freight railways, although sections of the Fremantle freight railway had the problem of being only single track. With the Armadale, Fremantle and Midland lines about to be electrified in the early 1990s, the report suggested using the leftover diesel railcars to minimise initial costs. Planning for the line was transferred to the Department of Transport in 1991. The department then released a report in 1992 for recommending a light rail line from Fremantle to the south west metropolitan area. Later that year, the Lawrence government made an in principle commitment to building a rail line from Fremantle to Rockingham and Mandurah. It had ruled out a dedicated busway, but had not yet chosen between heavy rail and light rail. The SWAT Steering Committee was formed to assess various things for the line, namely the transit mode, route, cost, and the community's preference regarding the transit mode and route. The SWAT committee recommended the use of heavy rail like the rest of Perth's rail system. Premier Carmen Lawrence made the commitment ahead of the 1993 state election to build this line as far as Rockingham by 1996, and to Mandurah by 2001. Separately from any other planning, Westrail was asked by the Department of Planning and Urban Development in 1992 or 1993 to investigate doing a direct route from Perth to Mandurah instead of via Fremantle. The direct route was to pass through the emerging regional centre of Thomsons Lake, now known as Cockburn Central, and make the journey to the Perth central business district (CBD) quicker. The median of the Kwinana Freeway south of the Narrows Bridge was seen as being too narrow for a railway, so that route was not considered. Westrail came up with a plan for the line to run underground from the Perth CBD to the Mount Henry Bridge. At $800 million, this was considered too expensive. After Richard Court won the election for the Liberal Party, the government put aside any immediate plans for the line, saying that it was far too expensive and too soon after the Joondalup line was built. The Court government started a new study to determine if a busway would be an acceptable alternative to light rail or heavy rail, options which had already been costed at $326 million to $570 million. In August 1995, the government announced new plans for the railway to Mandurah. It was going to take a new route, branching off from the Armadale line at Kenwick, running parallel to the Kwinana freight railway to Jandakot, where it would then run south to Rockingham and Mandurah. The railway was to undergo a staged construction, with the first stage from Kenwick to Jandakot opening within 10 years at a cost of $150 million. The cost of the entire line was to be $570 million. The land for this was reserved in the Metropolitan Region Scheme in December 1994, and land acquisition commenced after that. The land for the railway was also reserved in the forthcoming Peel Region Scheme, which was gazetted on 23 October 2002.

Cabinet approved the creation of a master plan in April 1997, with its preparation starting later that year. Amongst its objectives were to establish the line's feasibility, develop concepts, confirm the final route, develop patronage estimates, decide on the number and location of stations, determine how the line will operate and integrate with other transport services, determine rolling stock and infrastructure requirements, determine the environmental impact, determine the cost, examine options for funding, and prepare enabling legislation. The master plan, called the South West Metropolitan Railway (SWMP) Master Plan, was endorsed by cabinet in March 1999. The route laid out by the master plan was as follows. The service would commence at Perth station, running alongside the Armadale line until Kenwick, where it would enter a tunnel and pass under the Armadale line, Albany Highway, Roe Highway and the Kwinana freight railway. It would emerge from the tunnel and run south west, parallel to the freight railway. Along this section, the stations planned were at Thornlie (now Thornlie station), Nicholson Road (now Nicholson Road station), and Ranford Road (then named Canning Vale station; now Ranford Road station). There was also provision for a station at Jandakot Airport near Karel Avenue for the future. After travelling along the freight railway, the line would enter a tunnel and emerge within the median strip of the Kwinana Freeway. Having the line run along the side of the freeway was considered, as the freeway median was initially viewed as being too narrow. This option would have resulted in greater station accessibility but take the line close to current and planned residential areas. The line would have run along the eastern side of the freeway before crossing to the western side north of Berrigan Drive. This option was not chosen, limiting the adverse environmental impact of the freeway and railway to a narrower strip. The stations along the freeway section of the line were to be at Berrigan Drive (named South Lake station) and Beeliar Drive (then named Thomsons Lake station; now Cockburn Central station), with provisions for future stations at Gibbs Road/Russell Road (then named Success station; now Aubin Grove station), Rowley Road (named Mandogalup station), and Anketell Road (named Anketell). At Thomas Road, the railway would exit the freeway via a tunnel and travel south west through Kwinana. In Kwinana, the stations planned were at Thomas Road (now Kwinana station) and at Leda (now Wellard station), with a future station at Challenger Avenue (named South Parmelia station). Through Rockingham, there were several alignments considered. The Minister for Planning commissioned the Rockingham City Centre Railway Access Study in 1996 to provide some options. The study recommended a route which travelled through the Rockingham city centre, partially in a tunnel. Cabinet endorsed this route in August 1997 after being told the estimated cost was $119 million. This was the route that the City of Rockingham wanted as well, with the Rockingham Council saying it strongly opposed any route that bypassed the Rockingham city centre as it would be detrimental by siphoning workers out of Rockingham and into the Perth CBD. After cabinet endorsement, more detailed costing and evaluation of the endorsed route and alternative routes was done. The new cost of the favoured option was determined to be $269 million. As a result, more options were developed by a workshop, and these were refined to three options for the 1999 master plan. The first option had a cost of $143 million, and involved of track in a trench or underground and two stations: one within the Rockingham city centre, and one north of Rockingham at Ennis Avenue. The second option had a cost of $107 million, and involved of track in a trench or underground and two stations: one within the Rockingham city centre, and one north of Rockingham at Ennis Avenue. The third option bypassed the Rockingham city centre, had a cost of $31 million, involved no tunnels or trenches, and had one station at Dixon Road and provisions for a future station on Ennis Avenue south of Elanora Drive (named Cooloongup). This option also had a dedicated bus service to link the station to the city centre. In addition to the higher cost of the tunnel options, there would also have been higher transit time for those travelling though Rockingham without getting off the train there. Running south from Rockingham along the eastern side of Ennis Avenue, the double tracked section of the line was planned to end at Safety Bay Road, at Waikiki station (now Warnbro station). South from there, the line was to run single tracked to Mandurah station, including crossing Stakehill Road, Paganoni Road, and a road in Lakelands at the line's only level crossings. Future station provisions were to be at Stakehill Road (named Stakehill station), Paganoni Road (named Karnup station), Lakelands, and Gordon Road. Additionally, the master plan found that works were required along the Perth to Kenwick portion for the operation of the Mandurah line. These proposed works included an additional platform at Perth station, a rebuild of Victoria Park station, closure of Lathlain station, a rebuild of Carlisle station, closure of Welshpool station, a rebuild of Beckenham station, and the removal of most level crossings. The master plan stipulated that the Mandurah line run as a through service with the Joondalup line, a role which the Armadale line was fulfilling at the time. Among the advantages were that it would result in fewer trains needing to turn around at Perth station and the associated infrastructure requirements that arose from that. 104 railcars would have had to be purchased, which would be stored at a depot at Rockingham and at Nowergup on the Joondalup line. In April 2000, an expanded version of the SWMR Master Plan was released by the government. The Railway (Northern and Southern Urban Extensions) Act, which enabled the construction of the Mandurah line via Kenwick, passed the Western Australian Parliament in November 1999.

However, following a change in State Government in 2001, a bill was passed that saw the route altered to start at Perth station, travel through a tunnel, traverse the Kwinana Freeway, and then continue along its initial route after Jandakot. This second route was much more direct, and allowed through services with the Joondalup line; however it was more costly. The new route had a 20% faster journey time from Mandurah station to Perth, and a 40% faster journey time from Thomsons Lake to Perth. It also had higher projected patronage, with 24,950 passengers per day projected, as opposed to 19,100 for the route via Kenwick. The new route also meant that there is a higher maximum capacity for each line, as there are no tracks with multiple lines limiting maximum capacity. It also provided an opportunity for a new station at the south end of the Perth CBD, closer to the offices on St Georges Terrace.

Since opening, there have been proposals for stations to be built at South Perth, Aubin Grove, Karnup and Lakelands. Of those stations, Aubin Grove was opened in 2017 and Lakelands station opened in 2023. After the opening of the Mandurah line, the government committed to building a station by 2010 at Richardson Street in South Perth. The station was not in the 2009 state budget, and has not been built since. In August 2012, the government announced plans for the construction of Aubin Grove station, at Russell Road between Cockburn Central station and Kwinana station. The station was planned to cost $80 million. A tender for the construction of the station was released in July 2014. In February 2015, CAMPS, which is a joint venture between Coniglio Ainsworth Architects and M. P. S. Architects, was selected to design the station. In late 2015, Georgiou Group was awarded the construction contract. Construction began in March 2016, and on 23 April 2017, the station was opened. The project had a final cost of $125 million, of which $72 million was for the station. Ahead of the 2017 state election, both major parties promised to build a $520 million extension of the Thornlie line to link up with the Mandurah line at Cockburn. The line was planned to follow the previously planned alignment of the Mandurah line, along the Kwinana freight railway, and have stations at Ranford Road and Nicholson Road, before entering the Kwinana Freeway and terminating at a new platform at Cockburn Central station. One of the publicised advantages of the line was that it would make getting to Perth Stadium quicker for people south of Cockburn Central, as the stadium, which was under construction at the time, is along the Armadale/Thornlie line. The Labor Party also promised to build a station at Karnup, between Mandurah and Warnbro, as part of their proposed Metronet program of public transport expansion. The Labor Party won the election. Early works began in late 2019, with full constructing beginning in 2020. The extension is As part of a major realignment of railway tracks at the Cockburn Central railway station, the Mandurah line was closed between Elizabeth Quay and Aubin Grove from 26 December 2021 to 14 January 2022, In this time, the existing tracks were moved to the edge of the rail corridor to make room for the new Thornlie line tracks that will run between the Mandurah line tracks. The Labor Party also promised ahead of the 2017 election to build a station at Karnup, between Mandurah and Warnbro. In March 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised $10 million in federal funding for a station at Lakelands, between Mandurah and Karnup. That was later increased to 80% of the $80 million construction cost, which prompted the state government in November 2019 to delay construction of Karnup station in favour of constructing Lakelands station. Requests from the state government for the federal government to fund Karnup station instead were refused. ADCO Constructions was selected as the preferred proponent in December 2021, with the company being awarded the contract in January 2020. Works for Lakelands station began in August 2021. and the station opened on 11 June 2023.

The railway uses 1067 mm gauge; the same as the rest of the Transperth network. It is designed for a maximum train speed of , however trains do not go above in regular operation. During hot weather, the tracks can distort. As a result, train speeds are reduced by approximately when the air temperature is above , and by an additional when the air temperature is above
The line uses an overhead 25 kV AC power supply system, which is the same system as the rest of the Transperth network. Third rail 750 V DC power was considered but was not chosen because it would require the rolling stock to be modified to use both power systems, which would reduce performance and cost over $20million. This system would also require that traction supply substations be located within intervals. The Transperth network currently uses fixed block signalling and automatic train protection, which stops trains that pass a red signal and slows trains that drive too fast. These systems will be replaced by communications based train control as part of Metronet. The new systems are planned to be in place on the Mandurah line by June 2029,

The Mandurah line operates as a through service with the Joondalup line. The service between Perth Underground station and Elizabeth Quay station is designated as both the Mandurah and Joondalup lines. This section is underground in twin bored tunnels, and has a roughly north–south heading. Perth Underground station has an underground pedestrian link to the rest of Perth station. North of Perth Underground station, along the Joondalup line, the track bends westwards, then surfaces parallel to the Fremantle line, allowing trains to switch tracks to the rest of the network. Approximately north along the Joondalup line is the Nowergup depot, At the line's Mandurah terminus, there is a small railcar depot, used for cleaning and storing trains overnight.