- 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.
As stated by 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."
