Push for Perth to Albany passenger train service gathers steam as high-level talks begin

A push for the reinstatement of a passenger train service between Perth and Albany is gathering steam after a high-level meeting between key stakeholders from local and State politics. Official talks have begun regarding a “world-class” travel experience through the Wheatbelt and the Great Southern to bolster tourism and reinvigorate the economy of the regions. Senior representatives from local governments along the route of the old Great Southern Railway met in Narrogin yesterday, along with Roe MP Peter Rundle and members of Regional Development Australia. They have formed an initial working group of beneficiaries to explore the possibility of bringing the Great Southern Railway back to life for passenger transport. The Great Southern Railway was completed in 1889, bringing massive benefits to the towns along its route from Beverley to Albany, including Narrogin, Wagin, Katanning and Mt Barker. The line is now operated by Arc Infrastructure with CBH grain trains making up the majority of traffic. The last passenger service was the Albany Progress, an overnight service which ran from May 1961 to December 1978. Shire of Narrogin chief executive Dale Stewart said the first stage of the project could be establishing a passenger service from Northam to Albany. He said the railway would not require the same level of investment as metropolitan lines as it was already in functioning condition. Only minor changes would be needed to allow trains to pass each other due to the single-rail model of the line. “Passenger movement on rail could potentially recommence tomorrow, as existing rolling stock is available for the task so all this requires is the willing appetite of the rail safety authority to approve this in conjunction with Arc Infrastructure,” he said. The Shire of Narrogin is currently investing one-million dollars into restoring its historic railway station to “bring it back to life.” “While we currently have no passenger trains to be serviced from our train station there is no reason it couldn’t be used for that purpose within the next six months,” Mr Stewart said. Mr Rundle said now was a better time than ever to reinstate a passenger service from Perth to Albany. “There won’t be a lot of people going overseas for a couple of years and there is an increase of internal travel, so I think (the railway) will be a big feature over the next few years,” he said. “We have good high quality accommodation in towns along the railway which would fit in nicely with this concept.” According to Shire of Kulin president Barry West, a luxury passenger service was the goal because the long travel time on the current lines made a Perth-style commuter service unfeasible. “We’ve got some the best produce in the world so we could wine and dine these people on overnight trains. That would be a world-class experience,” he said. RDA Wheatbelt director Mandy Walker said her organisation was interested in helping the local government investigate the feasibility of the Perth to Albany passenger railway project. She said the next step would be establishing funding to conduct a cross-benefit analysis to study the potential benefits and opportunities that a passenger service could bring to the region. If the study demonstrates positive outcomes with a cost-effective solution, she said the Wheatbelt RDA “would become an advocate” of the passenger railway project and lobby the State Government. Mr Rundle said if the results of the cross-benefit analysis were positive, he would seek support from Transport Minister Rita Saffioti and Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan. “I think (the railway) is a reality if we have got strong community support and I’d be urging people interested in it to talk to local councils, because the councils in the Great Southern will need to be the ones who drive the charge,” he said. “I think we need a combined effort of local governments with our RDA and the development commission alongside interested people in the community to express support so we can show that this is viable option.”