Price tag sinks Milligan Street rail-sinking proposal

7/4/04

A City of Perth-State Government investigation into linking Northbridge and the CBD by sinking the railway between Perth Station and Milligan Street has found the proposal is not financially feasible.

However, the sinking of the new Clarkson-to-Mandurah line to King Street is already included in the existing City Project contract.

Detailed analysis and costings of the proposal to sink the new line and the existing Fremantle line to Milligan Street have indicated a cost of almost $200million.

Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan and Perth Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass today both expressed disappointment that the proposal would not go ahead.

"Despite our best efforts, we could not justify such an expenditure," Ms MacTiernan said.

"We will continue with the 'undergrounding' of the Clarkson-to-Mandurah line from Perth Station at least as far as King Street."

Dr Nattrass said the City of Perth supported the continuation of the Northbridge Link Committee - the joint State Government-City of Perth body established last October.

"Hopefully it can look at other possible options for the Northbridge area, to complement the exciting CBD development possibilities already being opened up by the railway project on the foreshore and in the Wellington-William Street precinct," he said.

The costing was undertaken by the Public Transport Authority's existing City Project contractor, Leighton Kumagai.

Ms MacTiernan said even without the additional undergrounding, the project would be a tremendous boost for the City of Perth.

"We now want to continue on our partnership with the city to explore possibilities to improve the connections between Northbridge and the CBD," the Minister said.