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City Project

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Planning

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The government revealed the new route in the new master plan, released in July 2001.[1]

The Perth City Rail Advisory Committee was formed in October 2001 in response to controversy over the route through the Perth CBD. It consisted of eight members, including engineers, planners, and representatives from the Property Council and the Perth City Council, and was tasked with submitting its final report outlining the route options in February 2002.[2] The report was delayed as the committee found it hard to reach a consensus;[3][4] the report ended up being released on 14 March 2002. It proposed three options: an eastern, central, or western route.[5]

  • Western route:
  • Central route: This route
  • Eastern route:

The eastern route was the committee's preferred route, followed by the western route. The government ruled out the eastern route as it cost more than twice the other two routes. The remaining two routes were opened up to public consultation over the following month.[5][6][7] In April 2002, it was announced that the Perth City Rail Advisory Committee would be re-established to conduct a more detailed analysis on the two remaining routes.[8] An opinion poll by The West Australian newspaper found that 39 percent of respondents supported the central route and 35 percent of respondents supported the western route.[9] The Perth City Rail Advisory Committee handed down its report in May 2002, recommending the construction of the central route.[10] The Cabinet of Western Australia officially endorsed this route in June.[11]

The Perth Urban Rail Development Project Supplementary Master Plan was released in August 2002.[12]

Construction

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Geotechnical testing by Golder Associates occurred between January and March 2003.[13][14]

The City Project was designed and constructed as part of Package F of the Southern Suburbs Railway project.[citation needed] Expressions of interest for Package F were called for in March 2003[15] and closed in April 2003. Five consortia submitted expressions of interest:[16]

A design change was announced in July 2003, with the William Street bridge on the foreshore now to be demolished. The $1.3 million cost was to be offset by changes to the project's design, including leaving a 135-metre (443 ft) section of the tunnel uncovered within the freeway interchange and using natural light and ventilation for Esplanade station. Concerns were raised regarding an increase in traffic congestion due to the removal of the bridge, but Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass supported the removal of the bridge because it allowed for a future redevelopment of the foreshore.[17][18] After lobbying from the Perth City Council,[19] consideration was given to sinking the Fremantle line within Northbridge at the same time. The state government attempted to reach an agreement for the City of Perth to fund the sinking in exchange for the city receiving the right to develop the land on top of the railway,[20] but with an estimated cost of $200 million, it was deemed too expensive.[21][22] This section of railway was later sunk as part of the Perth City Link project.

City Connect and the Leighton–Kumagai Gumi Team were shortlisted in May 2003[23][24] and in November 2003, the Leighton–Kumagai Gumi Team was selected as the preferred proponent.[25][26] City Connect lead contractor Clough's managing director had expressed that he did not want to agree to the government's requirement that the contractor take all the risk for cost escalation due to unknowns such as soil conditions and heritage buildings.[27][28] The following month, the contract was approved by Cabinet, with a $100 million cost increase announced as well, taking the cost of the Southern Suburbs Railway to $1.059 billion, prompting shadow transport minister Katie Hodson-Thomas to call for the project to be "reconsidered" and National Party lead Max Trenorden to call for MacTiernan to be stood aside pending a parliamentary review into the project.[29][30] In February 2004, the contract was signed for $324.5 million.[31][32]

[33]

Due to the controversy of the City Project and pressure from the Liberal and Greens parties, MacTiernan promised in January 2004 to table the contract in Parliament, although Leighton opposed this.[34][35][36] The contract was controversial due to the previous cost blowout and the risks of tunnelling. MacTiernan promised that almost all the risk would be on the contractor as it was a fixed-price contract,[37] with the state liable for underground building anchors and the relocation of power and water utilities.[38] The contract was tabled on 2 March 2004. MacTiernan claimed it was "the first time that the contract for such a construction project have been publicly released".[39] The contract stated that delays beyond October 2006 would incur a penalty of $54,000 per day for the contractor.[40] Throughout construction, MacTiernan emphasised that it was a fixed-price contract in response to speculation about cost blowouts.[41]

A ceremony was held on 26 February 2004 for the start of preliminary drilling and surveying, which was the first physical work done for the Southern Suburbs Railway.[42] Demolition of buildings to make way for the William Street station began in April 2004.[43] The William Street bridge was demolished in August 2004. It was intended that the freeway interchange road layout would be redesigned to be more pedestrian friendly.[44] By October 2004, construction was several weeks behind schedule due to delays caused by demolition and retaining the heritage-listed Wellington Building at the William Street station site, and equipment problems at the Esplanade station site.[45]

 
Construction at Elizabeth Quay station in August 2004. Sheet piles are being installed.

The start of tunnelling was delayed by several weeks due to mechanical problems with the TBM, including a faulty conveyor belt.[46] Tunnelling from Esplanade station began on 25 October 2005.[47] After a week, the TBM had bored just 3.5 metres (11 ft). Progress was slow due to problems with o-rings, which needed to be replaced.[48] It was intended that the first tunnel between the Esplanade and William Street stations would be completed before Christmas,[46] but by the start of Christmas break, 240 metres (790 ft) out of 370 metres (1,210 ft) of the tunnel had been bored.[49] Tunnelling resumed from the Christmas break early to make up for lost time.[50] The TBM reached William Street station on 7 February 2006.[51] The TBM reached William Street station for the second time on 31 August 2006[52] and reached the Roe Street dive structure on 24 October 2006, marking the completion of tunnel boring.[53] The TBM was dismantled and sold for parts.[54]

Grout was injected into the ground during tunnel boring to reduce ground movement.[46]

In April 2005, MacTiernan revealed that the New MetroRail project completion date had been delayed from December 2006 to April 2007 due to the City Project not being projected to finish construction until December 2006. The delays were attributed on the heritage protection works at Perth Underground station, engineering challenges on the foreshore, and industrial disputes.[55][56] In April 2006, she announced that the City Project's likely completion date had been delayed to April 2007, which meant the Mandurah line would not open until July 2007.[57] In April 2007, MacTiernan revealed another delay, this time with the likely opening date being October 2007.[58]

 
Perth rail yard facing east towards Perth station and the tunnel. On the left is the Fremantle line, the middle is the tracks leading to the tunnel, and the right is the Joondalup line.
 
Perth rail yard facing west. The photograph was taken on 6 October 2007, two days before the Fremantle and Joondalup lines were shut down for the middle two tracks to be connected.

The first train ran through the tunnels in August 2007.[59] The City Project reached practical completion in September 2007 and was handed over to the PTA on 10 September.[60][61] From 8 October to 14 October, the Fremantle line was fully closed and the Joondalup line was closed south of Leederville station to connect the City Project's tracks, signalling, electrical, and communications systems to the rest of the network.[62] The two underground stations opened on 15 October 2007.[63][64]

[65][66]

Industrial action

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About three hundred workers went on strike from 11 November 2004, complaining about long working hours.[67] The Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission ordered that they returned to work two days later,[68] but the workers voted in favour of defying the order.[69][70][71] MacTiernan took a hands-off approach regarding the strike, saying it was a matter between the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) and Leighton–Kumagai Gumi.[72][73] The strikers returned to work after two weeks, with a deal being reached on 26 November for better pay for nightshift workers.[74] Workers went on strike for two days in January 2005 due to smoke haze,[75][76] which was deemed valid by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.[77] Two hundred and fifty workers went on strike for two days in April 2005 after two union officials were allegedly assaulted by a subcontractor working for Leighton on another package.[78][79] MacTiernan revealed in May 2005 that the City Project was subject to twenty-eight days lost due to strikes, the most days out of any of the Southern Suburbs Railway project's packages.[80]

Four hundred workers went on strike for a day in July 2005 due to an incident where a digger hit a cable on Wellington Street.[81] More than two hundred workers went on sick leave for several days in August 2005, which was described as a case of "blue flu".[82][83][84] In October 2005, a two-day strike occurred, with workers claiming they were being made to do excessive overtime.[85] In November 2005, over four hundred workers went on strike for several days, pausing tunnel boring. The workers failed to follow a return-to-work order given by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.[86] Later that month, the workers at the Esplanade station site went on strike for one day due to safety concerns.[87] Leighton–Kumagai told the commission in its application for a strike ban that unscheduled stoppages to tunnelling would change the pressure at the TBM's cutter head, which could potentially cause pipes to burst, buildings to crack and potholes to appear in roads.[88] The contractor also the commission that it had lost forty-six days of work to industrial action since July 2004.[89] The Australian Industrial Relations Commission issued a strike ban for the remainder of the project in December 2005,[90][91] which the CFMEU said it planned to disobey.[92]

In February 2006, Leighton filed a writ in the Supreme Court of Western Australia against the CFMEU and CFMEU assistant secretary Joe McDonald, for having allegedly "unlawfully interfered in its business and in its relationship with its employees and subcontractors".[93] Leighton and the CFMEU reached a pre-trial settlement in November 2006, with the CFMEU paying Leighton $150,000 plus legal costs and the CFMEU admitting to breaching the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act twenty-nine times.[94][95] Leighton and the CFMEU reached another out-of-court settlement in July 2009, worth millions of dollars.[96]

Over 400 workers went on strike starting 24 February 2006 due to a shop steward being dismissed for telling other workers to go home without permission from management, violating the strike ban.[97] On 28 February, they voted to remain on strike until the unfair dismissal claim was heard in the Industrial Relations Commission.[98][99] MacTiernan criticised the strike, but said that there was nothing she could do as the state government was just the client and that it was the contractor's responsibility to find a solution.[98][100] Leighton said that the state government could deregister the union, pass legislation protecting the project, or launch its own legal action against the union,[101][102] while the state opposition said that the striking workers should be dismissed.[103] The Industrial Relations Commission refused to expedite the unfair dismissal hearing while the strike was ongoing.[104][101] The strikers voted on 8 March to return to work.[105][106] In July 2006, the Australian Building and Construction Commission issued writs against 107 workers for defying the strike ban in February 2006.[107][108] The prosecution of those workers was described as "unprecedented" by the Australian Institute of Employment Rights, and relied on the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005 passed by the Howard government, which was criticised for removing the right to strike.[109] Eighty-seven workers admitted the strike was illegal in October 2007.[110] The case was resolved in December 2007, with the Federal Court fining nearly 100 workers up to $9,000 for striking and $1,000 for ignoring a return to work order from the Industrial Relations Commission.[111]

Contract disputes

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Throughout 2004 and 2005, the Leighton–Kumagai joint venture claimed that the Public Transport Authority owed them $50 million due to cost overruns. In early 2006, the joint venture claimed an additional $141 million for cost overruns[112][113][114] resulting from unforeseen ground conditions, labour strikes, delays in demolition, and the difficulty in preserving heritage buildings. MacTiernan said that the claims were unfounded and that the state government would not pay for the cost overruns.[114][115] Leighton had initially expected to make an $8 million profit on the project, which was reduced to a $10–15 million loss.[116] Leighton CEO Wal King met with Premier Alan Carpenter in an attempt to reach an agreement.[117] The claims had risen a further $13 million by March 2006, reaching a total of $204 million. MacTiernan said that only a small portion of that total would be paid out.[118]

Leighton filed a writ in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in April 2006 seeking to be relieved from its contractual obligations due to the PTA's failure to establish insurance for the whole cost of the contract, or alternatively have the practical completion deadline extended until the PTA provides the insurance. By this point, tunnelling had stopped because the joint venture did not want to start the most challenging phase with the proper insurance to cover potential risks such as cave-ins.[119][120]

The cost overrun claims were divided into several separate Supreme Court writs. The first writ, filed in June, related to the contract's rise and fall provisions, which specified that an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) index would be used to calculate the escalating cost of labour and materials. The ABS discontinued the index soon after the contract was signed, so the dispute related to which alternative method should be used.[121] Another writ was filed in June 2006, seeking damages to cover the cost of disposing of contaminated soil and an extension to the practical completion deadline.[122] By September 2007, there was another writ for the costs of dewatering.[123]

The trial for the rise and fall provisions dispute started in September 2007.[124][125] In September 2008, the court ruled in favour of Leighton.[126][127] All legal action was ended with a confidential settlement in May 2009. The West Australian reported that Leighton was awarded over $20 million, whereas ABC News reported that the figure was greater than $43 million.[128][129]

References

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  124. ^ Drummond, Mark (4 September 2007). "Rail line blowout 'may get bigger'". The West Australian. p. 1.
  125. ^ Drummond, Mark (12 September 2007). "D-day for WA's $200m rail fight". The West Australian. p. 16.
  126. ^ Gibson, Roy (19 September 2008). "Mandurah train cost rises further – Public Transport Authority says court ruling will see Leighton get $6m in cost overruns, not the $35m it claimed". The West Australian. p. 3.
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  128. ^ Kerr, Peter (26 May 2009). "Secret deal settles rail cost blowout". The West Australian. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  129. ^ "Perth to Mandurah rail dispute settled". ABC News. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2024.

Reports

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Further reading

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  • White, Chris (September 2006). "The Perth 107: The Right to Strike Contest" (PDF). Australian Institute of Employment Rights.
  • Dragovic, Dan; Gardner, Stefania (February 2009). "The discontinued index: A danger in rise and fall clauses". Australian Construction Law Bulletin (9): 100–106. ISSN 1035-1361.
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Kwinana Freeway roadworks

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A Narrows Bridge beam being transported to the site
 
The three parallel Narrows Bridges photographed in 2013

Package E was for the alterations to the Kwinana Freeway between the CBD and Glen Iris, including strengthening the existing Narrows Bridge for the northbound tracks and adding a parallel bridge for the southbound tracks, widening and strengthening Mount Henry Bridge, earthworks for Bull Creek and Murdoch stations, realigning and reconstructing the freeway ramps and intersections at Leach Highway and South Street, replacing a bus on ramp at Canning Bridge station, and realigning the freeway carriageways.[1][2] This package was the only one managed by Main Roads Western Australia.

By May 2003, two consortia had been shortlisted: Thiess Barclay Mowlem Joint Venture and Leighton Contractors.[1] Concerns about a lack of competition in the tender process were raised, as Thiess was a subsidiary of Leighton, but MacTiernan said that a lack of contractors that could do the work left the government with no choice but to accept the bids.[3] Leighton was selected as the preferred proponent in October 2003[2][4] and the contract was awarded in December 2003 for $99.1 million. This coincided with an announcement that the planned commencement of services to Mandurah had been brought forward to the end of 2006.[5]

Over one hundred workers went on strike for two days in April 2005 after two union official was allegedly assaulted by a subcontractor at the Leach Highway site.[6] They were joined by two hundred and fifty workers from the City Project as well.[7] The strike ended after three days.[8]

The original plan for Mount Henry Bridge was for extra lanes to be added to both the west and east sides of the bridge, but Leighton proposed constructing a single standalone bridge on the western side, saving $17 million. The new Mount Henry Bridge opened on 22–23 January 2006, allowing work on the rail corridor to begin on the former western carriageway on the original bridge. The new bridge was 15 metres (49 ft) wide, 660 metres (2,170 ft) long, and was constructed using the incremental launch method.[9][10]

Package E was completed in June 2006.[11]

Railway construction

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Package A was civil works, drainage, track construction, and overhead line equipment construction, as well as earthworks for stations between Cockburn Central and Mandurah. By May 2003, four consortia had pre-qualified to tender for Package A:[1]

Concerns about a lack of competition were raised for Package A as well, with John Holland and Thiess being subsidiaries of Leighton Contractors, meaning three out of the four bids involved Leighton.[3] ConnectWest withdrew during the tender period. RailLink Joint Venture was announced as the preferred proponent in December 2003[12][13] and awarded the contract in May 2004 for $310 million.[14][15][16]

In January 2005, prior to the start of construction on Package A, 140 workers on other John Holland sites across Perth went on a solidarity strike, demanding pay rates equalling Leighton's workers. The sites included an extension of Tonkin Highway, the Kenwick tunnel for the Thornlie line, a rail depot in Kewdale, and a building on St Georges Terrace.[17] The strike lasted for five days,[18] with John Holland later agreeing to the pay rise. The strike was investigated by the Building Industry Task Force.

Track laying began on 16 March 2006, starting from RailLink's temporary depot in Hillman. For the most part, a track laying machine was used, which could lay 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) of track per day.[19][20]

The Public Transport Authority reached a $21.8 million settlement with RailLink due to unavoidable delays in construction.[21][22]

[23]

Station construction

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Cockburn Central station under construction in December 2005

The nine stations between Canning Bridge and Mandurah were grouped into three packages. Package B consisted of Cockburn Central, Kwinana and Wellard stations, Package C consisted of Rockingam, Warnbro and Mandurah stations, and Package D consisted of Canning Bridge, Bull Creek and Murdoch stations. In September 2003, the state government called for expressions of interest for the three station packages.[24]

The Package D contract was awarded to John Holland for $32 million in November 2004.[25][26][27] In March 2005, the Package B contract was awarded to a joint venture between DORIC Constructions and Brierty Contractors for $32 million.[28][29] Package C was divided into two contracts, which were awarded in June 2005 for a total of $38 million. The contract for Rockingham and Warnbro stations was awarded to the DORIC Brierty Joint Venture and the contract for Mandurah station was awarded to JM and ED Moore.[30][31]

Cockburn Central, Kwinana, Wellard and Mandurah stations reached practical completion in February 2007. Rockingham and Warnbro stations reached practical completion in April 2007. Canning Bridge, Bull Creek and Murdoch stations reached practical completion in June 2007.[11]

Other

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Package G was for a new train control system for the Southern Suburbs Railway and the existing network, which used a system installed in 1989. The contract for that was awarded to Union Switch & Signal in July 2003 for $10.6 million.[32] The new system was launched on 4 July 2005.[33]

Opposition

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[34][35]

Opening date

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In April 2005, MacTiernan claimed that the Southern Suburbs Railway would be completed on time and on budget, despite the ongoing industrial problems.[36] Later that month, she revealed that the opening date had been delayed from December 2006 to April 2007 due to delays on the City Project as a result of heritage protection works at Perth Underground station, engineering challenges on the foreshore, and industrial disputes, which had also caused a delay for Package A's track laying. A $45 million cost blowout was also revealed.[37][38]

A further delay to July 2007 was announced in April 2006.[39] The first train south of the Narrows Bridge ran on 9 November 2007.[40]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Construction, tunnelling and rail experts compete for $580million works on Perth-to-Mandurah section of New MetroRail project". Media Statements. 15 May 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Leighton selected as preferred proponent for rail contract". Media Statements. 10 October 2003. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b Low, Catie (4 June 2003). "Collusion fears in rail contracts". The West Australian. p. 61.
  4. ^ "Leighton gets rail line job". The West Australian. 11 October 2003. p. 40.
  5. ^ "Green light for massive rail project". Media Statements. 16 December 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  6. ^ Penn, Simon (11 April 2005). "Railway workers strike again". The West Australian. p. 11.
  7. ^ MacDonald, Kim (12 April 2005). "Another 250 workers join strike". The West Australian. p. 4.
  8. ^ MacDonald, Kim (13 April 2005). "Railway workers back after assault dispute". The West Australian. p. 4.
  9. ^ "New Mount Henry Bridge opens to traffic". Media Statements. 22 January 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Mt Henry Bridge gets new lanes". The West Australian. 23 January 2006. p. 28.
  11. ^ a b "City tunnel project completion announced". Media Statements. 8 September 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Preferred tenderer selected for Southern Suburbs rail line". Media Statements. 9 December 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  13. ^ Ball, Yvonne (11 December 2003). "New contracts put gloss on Macmahon order book". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Contract signed for rail project's 70km 'backbone'". Media Statements. 23 May 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Businesses sign $310m WA rail contract". ABC News. 23 May 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  16. ^ "$310m rail deal". Business News. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  17. ^ MacDonald, Kim (6 January 2005). "Union strikes for better rail deal". The West Australian. p. 3.
  18. ^ MacDonald, Kim (11 January 2005). "Respite in rail pay claim strike". The West Australian. p. 12.
  19. ^ "Track laying begins on Southern Suburbs Railway". Media Statements. 16 March 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  20. ^ Drummond, Mark (17 March 2006). "MacTiernan warns of more delays to snail rail". The West Australian. p. 11.
  21. ^ "State Government settles RailLink delay claim". Business News. 30 June 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  22. ^ "State Government settles RailLink delay claim". Media Statements. 30 June 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Businesses to be compensated for railway roadworks". ABC News. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Construction interest sought for about $80m worth of stations on Perth to Mandurah railway". Media Statements. 2 September 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Contract awarded for first three Southern Suburbs Railway stations". Media Statements. 6 November 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  26. ^ "John Holland secures Perth-to-Mandurah contract". ABC News. 7 November 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  27. ^ "John Holland wins $32m rail deal". Business News. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  28. ^ "Contract awarded for three more New MetroRail stations". Media Statements. 24 March 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  29. ^ "DORIC and Brierty in $32m train deal". Business News. 29 March 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Construction contracts awarded for final three train stations". Media Statements. 22 June 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  31. ^ "Southern line rail station contracts". Business News. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Contract signed for $10.6million new train control system". Media Statements. 19 August 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Perth's new high-tech train control centre leads the nation". Media Statements. 4 July 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  34. ^ Banks, Amanda (17 December 2003). "Mandurah rail costs up by $100m – and may go higher". The West Australian. p. 1, 10.
  35. ^ Taylor, Robert (2 March 2004). "Barnett faces pressure on Mandurah railway stance". The West Australian. p. 10.
  36. ^ Laurie, Tiffany (18 April 2005). "New railway line on track to open on time". The West Australian. p. 7.
  37. ^ "Revised timetable for New MetroRail". Media Statements. 27 April 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  38. ^ Williams, Ruth (28 April 2005). "Alannah's train derails". The West Australian. p. 5.
  39. ^ "Budget and timetable review of New MetroRail project". Media Statements. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  40. ^ "First train heads south". The West Australian. 9 November 2007. p. 1.

Further reading

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