Premier Roger Cook has again floated the idea of completing the circle route rail line – but this time raised the possibility of bringing in the help of light rail or trackless trams.
Cook made the comments at a Property Council of WA lunch on Friday, when he was asked about the next evolution of Labor’s Metronet public transport network.
He said the expansion of the ferry network, which he jokingly referred to as “Metro-wet”, was the next step, but beyond that, he wanted to see the circle line complete.
“Ultimately, what we want to do is complete the circle,” he said.
“Everyone’s familiar with our rail system, it looks like a half-constructed spider web because all the strands go into the middle, and ultimately, we need to start connecting it up as part of what you might call the circle route, and we’ve already done that so far with the Cockburn to Thornlie link.
“Ultimately, you might see parts of that connected through light rail, or you see nowadays trackless trams – they were exciting on YouTube for a while.”
Labor’s original vision for Metronet in December 2012 included north and south circle routes, while its 2017 election pledge included a vague large circle route connecting the Yanchep line to Fremantle, cutting through the city’s other rail lines.
This masthead understands no planning is under way for the circle routes, and agencies like Public Transport Authority are not doing any work on it as the government focuses on other priorities like AUKUS and transmission lines.
But it’s the second time Cook has publicly declared his aspiration of a complete circle line, after telling this masthead his government could “potentially” look at it ahead of the March election last year.
The mention of light rail or trackless trams will also pique the interest of transport buffs in the state and the opposition, given Perth’s history with light rail.
The Barnett government went to the 2013 election with a “fully costed, fully funded” promise to build the MAX light rail route to Perth’s north, but it was abandoned by 2016 thanks to the dire state of the budget.
Labor continues to ride that broken promise in its day-to-day politics, using it to deride the opposition over its commitment to public transport.
Curtin University Sustainability Professor and long-time public transport advocate Peter Newman said, “you’ve made my year, let alone my day” when this masthead alerted him to Cook’s comments.
“I am very encouraged, and I think that it’s time to start the next phase of Metronet with new ideas like this, because they need good ideas,” he said.
“These ideas have been around for a while, and I am always pleased to see them being picked up.
“They’re not easy but so far, the rail system has been a huge political success, and I believe, a very successful way to help give Perth its economic base for the future.”
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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