- Regular Armadale Line customers to be provided
six months of free travel - Daily Armadale Line passengers could save up to
an estimated $1300 - Armadale Line shutdown starts 20 November 2023
- Timetables for replacement bus services now
available through Transperth - Shutdown critical to deliver transformational
upgrades of Armadale Train Line - Advertising and public awareness campaign
launches this week
The
State Government has today announced regular customers of the Armadale Train
Line will receive six months of free travel from the start of the of the
closure, November 20.
The decision
has been made in recognition of the disruption and inconvenience the closure
will have on regular public transport commuters.
The new
entitlement will mean daily users of public transport will save up to $1300 across
the six-month period.
Those
eligible must meet the following criteria:
- Are SmartRider users; and
- Have used an Armadale/Thornlie Line train
service at least once a week for at least13 weeks (non-consecutive) in the last
six months
Those
eligible will automatically have a free travel token applied to their
SmartRider from 20 November 2023 to 31 May 2024, meaning they will not need to
apply or register for the new free travel entitlement.
More
information on the travel scheme, including a method for passengers to see if
they are eligible, will be available on the Transperth website in the lead up
to the shutdown.
The free
travel announcement comes as timetables for the replacement bus services are on
the Transperth website, allowing passengers to start familiarising themselves
with their public transport options ahead of the Armadale Line shutdown.
A
combination of limited stop and all stop bus routes will give passengers
options to get to the CBD and other local destinations. More than 100
additional buses will be used to help support the shutdown, while three new
temporary bus interchanges are being built in Victoria Park, Cannington and
Armadale.
Timetables
for Australind replacement road coaches are also available, with passengers
being offered a 50 per cent discount on fares during the shutdown.
The
road coaches will stop at the same locations as the Australind train, with
Kwinana as an additional stop on the limited stops service, allowing passengers
to transfer to the Mandurah Line.
Transperth’s
JourneyPlanner will be updated one month before the shutdown so that passengers
can plan their journey in greater detail.
This
week will also see the launch of a new advertising and public awareness
campaign about the upcoming closure.
Over
the coming weeks, Transperth staff will begin visiting Armadale Line train
stations to hand out information about the shutdown and discuss alternative
travel options for impacted passengers, while TV, online, print and billboard
advertisements will begin running this week.
Comments attributed to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“We
acknowledge that while this project is critically important and will deliver significant
long-term benefits for the community, the next 18 months will be disruptive,
particularly for regular Armadale Line passengers.
“The
decision to provide six months of free travel from the start of the shut is
only fair given the significant disruption regular customers will face and will
put up to $1300 back in the pocket for those that continue to use the replacement
services daily.
“Over
the coming weeks, we will be ramping up community awareness of the closure with
advertising across TV, print, online and billboards, while Transperth staff
will begin visiting stations to speak with impacted commuters about their new
travel options during the closure.
“This
is one of the biggest public transport infrastructure projects we have ever
undertaken and will see the complete transformation of a 130-year-old Train
Line.
“In total there
will be seven new
stations constructed, the removal of 13 level crossings, the extension of the
line to Byford and the creation of around six-hectares of new public open space.”
