{"id":586098,"date":"2026-10-25T18:47:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T07:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=586098"},"modified":"2026-10-25T18:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T07:47:09","slug":"wa-government-leaves-door-ajar-for-return-of-passenger-rail-from-perth-to-albany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=586098","title":{"rendered":"WA government leaves door ajar for return of passenger rail from Perth to Albany"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The WA government’s plan to buy back the state’s freight rail network has opened the door for a passenger train from Perth to Albany to also be introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communities in the Great Southern region say a passenger train would help connect towns to vital services as well as boost tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Southern Railway, built in the 1900s, stretches 450 kilometres from Perth to the city of Albany, and passes through half a dozen towns including Narrogin, Wagin, Katanning, Tambellup and Mount Barker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been several attempts to bring back the passenger line<\/a> since it was scrapped in 1978, but none has been successful.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Passengers boarding a train at the Mount Barker train station in 1910. (Supplied: State Library of Western Australia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Push for passenger rail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rail advocacy group Countrynet Rail Alliance says the state buyback of the freight network<\/a> presents an opportunity to revive both agricultural and passenger services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As part of the buyback, I think it is time to actually take a really good look at this from an economic perspective and to look at all of the potential gains and benefits that could come from it,” spokesperson Simon Lyas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s cheaper to do it now than it will be in 10 or 20 years, and I think that’s why it warrants a particularly special investigation and feasibility study to find out what the costs would be and what the benefits would be.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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The state government said bringing the regional rail network back under public control was its top priority. It has shown in-principle support for the return of a Great Southern passenger rail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Public control of the network will allow for the consideration of new passenger rail opportunities,” a spokesperson for Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“However, passenger rail requires significant investment, both in terms of capital expenditure and ongoing operational costs, to make it a viable alternative to road transport.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal has received support from the City of Albany and other major regional towns along the route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The state government said bringing the regional rail network back under public control was its top priority. It has shown in-principle support for the return of a Great Southern passenger rail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":586103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,47],"tags":[19904,8339],"class_list":["post-586098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-rail-news","tag-albany","tag-perth"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t