Kenwick Rail Freight Facility

Project overview

Construction of the Kenwick rail freight facility will help ensure the continued efficient operation of Perth’s freight and passenger rail networks. The new facility will enable the rail freight operator to move from the existing facility at Bellevue, freeing up this site for the development of a future PTA railcar depot.

The Kenwick rail freight facility will be built within a 17ha site adjacent to the rail line between Bickley Road and Intermodal Place. It will be used by the rail freight operator (currently Arc Infrastructure) and will include:

A rail welding area
Rail stowage for grinding and track machines
Administration buildings
Material storage facilities
Connections to the existing rail freight network

A key function of the facility will be to allow the grinding and welding of rail, to replace sections of track across the freight network as needed. The Kenwick rail freight facility will be built and owned by the Public Transport Authority and included as part of the existing rail freight lease.

Project timing

Late 2019: Earthworks and drainage works begin; facility tender released
Early 2020: Earthworks and drainage works continue
Mid-2020: Facility tender awarded
Late 2020: Earthworks complete; construction of facility begins
Early 2021: Drainage works complete; construction of facility continues
2022: Facility Construction complete; handover to rail freight operator

Frequently asked questions

Why is the facility required?

Is the soil delivered to Kenwick from the Forrestfield-Airport Link project safe to use?

Is there a risk to the watercourses in the area?

Contact

For more information email projects@pta.wa.gov.au, or call 13 62 13. You may also wish to register for project updates.

Beneficial reuse of fill from the Forrestfield-Airport Link project is not considered to pose an increased or unacceptable level of risk to the environmental values of the area.

Testing of Yule Brook, Woodlupine Brook and the Canning River, the watercourses surrounding the Kenwick site, was undertaken before delivery of fill from the Forrestfield-Airport Link project. This confirmed that similarly low levels of PFAS were already present in all testing locations.

Testing of these watercourses throughout delivery of fill to the Kenwick site showed no observable change as a result of the activity. This testing is ongoing.

The new Kenwick rail freight facility is required to enable the rail freight operator (currently Arc Infrastructure) to move from an existing facility at Bellevue (about a kilometre east of Midland Station). The Bellevue site is critical to the expansion of the passenger network, being ideally situated to support increased operations on the Midland Line in particular. It is also the preferred site for an assembly and commissioning facility for the 246 new C-series railcars to be delivered between 2022 and 2029.

Using excess soil from the Forrestfield-Airport Link project as fill for the Kenwick site is safe and represents a sustainable approach to managing a valuable natural resource.

All work undertaken on the Forrestfield-Airport Link project is conducted in accordance with the project’s Environmental Management Plans, which involves oversight from a variety of stakeholders including the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, and an independent environmental auditor accredited under the Western Australian Contaminated Sites Auditor Scheme.

While fill from the Forrestfield-Airport Link project has been tested for PFAS, and very low levels have been found in some samples, the highest readings measured in the project’s fill are lower than the human health and ecological guideline values for indirect exposure given in the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan.

PFAS are ubiquitous and can be found at low levels in soils, surface water and groundwater in most urban areas in WA and nationally. The PFAS levels identified in the fill are not considered to pose a health risk to neighbouring properties. This includes consideration of dust exposure for construction workers, as well as for residents and businesses adjacent to the project site.

For further information about PFAS, visit the Department of Health and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation websites.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this site may contain images or names of people who are deceased.