Eglinton railway station is asuburban rail station inEglinton, a suburb ofPerth, Western Australia. Situated onTransperth'sYanchep line, the station consists of twoside platforms within a cutting below a ground-level concourse, with a bus interchange.
Since planning for the Yanchep line, originally known as the Joondalup line, began in the 1980s, it has been planned to eventually be extended toYanchep. After an extension to Butler opened in 2014, detailed planning began for a 14.5-kilometre (9.0 mi), three-station extension to Yanchep, which included Eglinton station. Construction began in mid-2020. Originally planned to be completed by the end of 2021, the extension opened on 14 July 2024.
Trains at Eglinton station run at up to a five-minute frequency duringpeak hour, lowering to a fifteen-minute frequency off-peak and on weekends and public holidays. At night, trains are half-hourly or hourly. The journey toPerth Underground station takes 44 minutes. Eglinton station is linked by bus toAlkimos station to the south andYanchep station to the north.
Eglinton station consists of two 150-metre-long (490 ft)side platforms sunk into a cutting. On top of the platforms is a ground-level concourse, connected to the platforms by a set of lifts and stairs.[4][5] The station was designed with its platforms in a cutting to improve the pedestrian experience, to lower the impact of noise, and to lower the visual impact. There are entrances on the west and east sides of the station, but only the west entrance was opened initially as the land on the east side has not yet been developed as of the station's construction.[5] West of the station is the bus interchange with eight stands, and north-west is a car park[4] with 392 bays. Other facilities include parking for bicycles and toilets.[6] The station is fullyaccessible.[4][6]
On the ceiling and entry screens are art pieces by Ian Mutch calledWorld Around Us andRhythm in Nature respectively, which consist of fabricated aluminium powder coated to look likeGrevillea preissii plants andwestern xenica butterflies. On the platform's retaining walls isStep by Colour, by Concreto, which consists of coloured tiles representing the local landscape and transition from the ocean totuart forests.[7]
The original stage of the Yanchep line, formerly known as the Joondalup line, began construction in November 1989.[8][9] It was opened between Perth station andJoondalup station on 20 December 1992,[10][11] and was extended toCurrambine station on 8 August 1993.[12] An extension toClarkson station opened on 4 October 2004,[13] and an extension to Butler station opened on 21 September 2014.[14][15] When planning for the line began in the 1980s, the intention was that it should eventually reach Yanchep.[16] In 1995, the state government reached an agreement withTokyu Corporation for aland swap for the land required for the railway all the way toTwo Rocks, including in Eglinton.[17][18]
Eglinton station was built as part of the Yanchep Rail Extension, which involved the construction of 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) of track and two other stations: Alkimos and Yanchep.[19] The Yanchep Rail Extension originated from a commitment by theLabor Party prior to winning the2017 state election to build the extension as part of itsMetronet project.[20] In December 2019, the main contract for the Yanchep Rail Extension and theThornlie–Cockburn Link was awarded to the NEWest Alliance, ajoint venture ofCPB Contractors andDowner Group.[21][22]
Earthworks for the Yanchep Rail Extension began in mid-2020.[23] The design of Eglinton station was revealed in August 2020.[24] From August 2021 to April 2023, Pipidinny Road was closed to construct a bridge across the railway line and for the construction of Eglinton station. The closure was originally meant to take nine months, but it was extended due to "additional works to accommodate utility services, the widening of Pipidinny Road, and challenging ground conditions impeding bridge works".[25][26][27] Foundation works for Eglinton station had begun by the end of 2021.[28][29] By May 2022, the retaining walls were complete.[30] By March 2023, the concrete slab for the concourse level had been poured[31][32] and by June 2023, the structural steel for the platforms and concourse was complete, the main roof was complete, and backfilling of the platforms was complete.[33] In September 2023, work that was in progress included lift car installation, paving the platforms, and construction of the ceilings and partitions for the platforms and concourse.[34] By March 2024, the building's structure was complete, with work focusing on tiling and internal fit-out. Landscaping and the installation of public art was also underway.[35]
The Yanchep Rail Extension was originally meant to open in late 2021.[19] This was first delayed to 2022. After the September 2021 state budget, the extension was delayed to late 2023.[36][37][38] After the May 2023 state budget, the government said that the Yanchep extension "is due for completion at the end of 2023, with services commencing in the new year".[39] At the end of 2023, the Yanchep extension was still under construction and services were planned to commence in the first half of 2024.[40][41] The actual opening date was revealed in April 2024.[42][43] The station officially opened on 14 July 2024,[44][45][46] upon which, the Joondalup line was renamed the Yanchep line.[42][47]
Eglinton station is served by the Yanchep line on theTransperth network.[3] Services are operated by thePublic Transport Authority.[48] The line goes between Yanchep andElizabeth Quay station in the Perth central business district, continuing south from there as theMandurah line.[3] Peak headways are five to ten minutes, dropping to fifteen minutes outside of peak and on weekends and public holidays. A train journey from Eglinton to Perth Underground takes approximately 45 minutes.[3] It is projected that Eglinton station will have 4,792 boardings per day by 2031.[19]
The Eglinton station bus interchange has eight bus stands and five regular bus routes.[49] Routes 491 and 492 run to Alkimos station to the south. Routes 494, 495 and 496 run to Yanchep station to the north.[50]Train replacement buses operate as route 904.[49]
^"Our history".Public Transport Authority.Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved16 May 2023.
^Westrail (1990).Annual Report 1989–1990. pp. 29–30.
^Lawrence, Carmen (20 December 1992)."Opening of Perth–Joondalup rail link" (Press release). Government of Western Australia.Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved4 January 2024.
^Hooker, Peter (21 December 1992). "Transperth tips rail boom".The West Australian. p. 4.
