Network and Infrastructure

PTA’s Network & Infrastructure (N&I) division is responsible for the management and maintenance of the urban passenger rail network; the planning, design and delivery of PTA’s capital works program; the delivery of PTA’s information technology; the management of the non-railway issues associated with the corridor land on which the freight network is located; and the lease of the freight corridor. It also ensures the requirements of the Railway (Access) Act 1998 are met by external operators on the urban network.

N&I has a service level agreement with TTO, which details its responsibility for the provision and maintenance of the infrastructure required by TTO to operate services reliably, efficiently and safely.

The key driver in maintaining both the new and existing infrastructure is the goal of providing a system which is attractive to our passengers but also safe, reliable and cost-effective. N&I’s performance is measured against a range of key performance indicators.

New Developments

Project Management Framework

The PTA has been one of the first CEIID agencies to implement the Project Management Framework, value management and procurement options guidelines in order to improve the planning and delivery of infrastructure projects.

Open Windows Contract Management System

The PTA has committed to implement the Open Windows Contract Management System promoted by the Department of Treasury and Finance. The software was customised to reflect PTA’s procurement and contract related processes. PTA will be rolling out the system in 2009/10.

Automatic Route Setting (ARS)

The Automatic Route Setting (ARS) system is an initiative being trialled by PTA’s train control. ARS provides automatic setting of routes to enable the movement of services in accordance with the timetable. The system, which looks after routine train movements, provides the best sequence of train movements through junctions and optimises resolution of train conflicts. This allows train controllers to focus their attention and skills on any problem areas (train controllers can overrule ARS where required). This is the first application of the ARS system on a major urban railway anywhere in Australia.

Asset Investment Program

Kelmscott Station

A $12.9 million major upgrade of Kelmscott Station train/bus interchange began in September 2007, linking in with the Kelmscott Town Centre re-development. The project was completed in September 2008.

Welshpool Maintenance Depot

A new $1.3 million maintenance depot was constructed at Welshpool to replace the storage yard at Guildford. The new depot will ensure that sufficient secured storage is available to house emergency materials close to the CBD for an effective and quick response to any infrastructure faults

Joondalup Line Rail Barrier Upgrade

The upgrading of certain sections of the rail barriers along the Mitchell Freeway continues. The $3.9 million Stage 1 of the project, a 2.7km section of Test Level 4 and 5 concrete barriers adjacent to the southbound lanes between Karrinyup Road and Hutton Street, will be completed by December 2009.

Platform Extensions - Loch and Grant Street Stations

Loch and Grant Street stations (on the Fremantle Line) were extended to enable four-car trains to stop at both stations, at a cost of $1 million.

Car park expansion project (Joondalup and Mandurah lines)

This $51 million project will provide an additional 3000 car bays on the Joondalup and Mandurah lines.

Additional parking bays at Greenwood Stage 1 (120 bays) and Edgewater (160) have been completed, and Murdoch (160 bays) will be completed in the first month or so of 2009/2010.

Designs for the Whitfords and Greenwood Stage 2 car park expansions have been tendered, with construction expected to commence in the third quarter of 2009.

Design work for extensions to car parks at Mandurah, Rockingham, Warnbro and Cockburn stations is progressing with completion of the new car parks expected in the first half of 2010.

Roe Street Bus Bridge

The new bus bridge, provides a grade-separated direct bus route between Fitzgerald Street and WSBS. The main bridge structure overpass was finished in May 2009. The approach roads, including a new bus lane on James Street, are scheduled for completion in 2010.

Victoria Park Station

The new $9.2 million Victoria Park Station was opened in August 2008. The new station was constructed 230m south of the existing station which was subsequently demolished. It includes an island platform, a lift between the footbridge and platform, access ramps and stairs. The entire project, which included realignment of track, signalling, and the demolition of the old station, totalled $12.1 million.

Transperth TVM project

Under the TVM project all the old cash ticket machines on the Transperth network were replaced. The project cost $15.5 million, and was completed in July 2008.

Bus priority projects

Bus priority projects involve the construction of bus lanes and other bus priority improvements, which seek to rectify problems for bus service operations on the Perth metropolitan road network.

  • Beaufort Street bus lane extension construction design was completed in June 2009.
  • Alexander Drive rapid transport corridor feasibility study was completed in June 2009.
  • The bus active signal priority project pilot design was completed in June 2009.
Bus Shelter Grant Scheme

The State Government’s Bus Shelter Grants Scheme (managed by the PTA), provides funding to local councils on a 50/50 basis to buy, build or upgrade bus shelters. In 2008/09, 29 grants totalling $505,071 were approved, covering 76 bus shelters.

Karrinyup Bus Depot

The PTA is upgrading the existing Karrinyup Bus Depot at a cost of $8.2 million. The upgrade includes a new office complex, workshop facility, refuelling facility (including compressed natural gas and diesel), steam cleaning and wash-down facility and staff and visitor car park. A separate project will provide for the upgrade of power, and supply of compressed natural gas to the site. The project will be completed in the second quarter of 2010.

Trackwork resleepering

The PTA program to replace deteriorated wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers continues. During 2008/09, $11.8 million was spent on completing sections of the Armadale Line, and purchasing the remaining concrete sleepers in preparation for works on the Midland Line. The Midland Line resleepering commenced in mid-May 2009 and is expected to be completed in September 2009.

The first part of a $1.47 million, three stage program of rail grinding is nearing completion. A significant volume of work completed, including re-profiling the rail to improve the wheel/rail interface and remove any gauge corner contact.

Kewdale Freight Complex redevelopment

To meet increased interstate container traffic demand (projected to increase at 10 per cent per annum) the Kewdale Freight Terminal is being redeveloped. The first part of the redevelopment, Terminal One, is based on a 50-year lease of 67.8ha to Asciano Services Pty Ltd.

Asciano will redevelop the lease area, while the PTA has funding of $17.9 million to provide power, water and sewerage services as well as the creation of drainage basins, new entry roads, and demolition works. Demolition and design has been completed and earthworks commenced. The City of Belmont was awarded the upgrade of the Abernethy Road / McDowell Street intersection and the construction of the new eastern end access road into the Kewdale site.

Emergency telephones at stations

Obsolete central processing unit (CPU) based emergency telephones at stations were replaced with a simple and more electronically robust type. The change required the replacement of the Perth Station PABX. Two tangible results came out of this change, a 75 per cent decrease in emergency telephone faults across the system, and a decrease in maintenance costs of the replacements. The project was completed on time and budget at a cost of $520,552.

32-day storage of public transport closed circuit television images

The Urban Security Initiative Project (USIP) originally provided seven days of secure storage for images captured by the 1156 CCTV cameras across the Transperth rail network. This $4.6 million project extends the storage capacity to 32 days, upgrades the system software to the latest version and refreshes all back-office hardware. The project is expected to be completed in September 2009.