Ellenbrook line records millions of boardings in first year of operation
Earlier this week, shadow treasurer Sandra Brewer again mocked the state for pouring so much money into Metronet.
“Where did the money go? We know what happened; it went to the Metronet explosions,” he said.
Saffioti remains defiant, saying his government has delivered large amounts of rail infrastructure to the east at a much lower price than when it was delivered.
“I challenge everyone to get a project across the country that provides better value for money,” he said.
“The (Melbourne Metro Tunnel) project itself cost about $15 billion, so for $10.6 billion we built an entire Metronet, 23 stations, 72 kilometers of rail line, removal of 15 level crossings.
“(The Morley to Ellenbrook line in particular) is very good value for money – 21 kilometres, five new stations.”
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The new stations are Ellenbrook, Whiteman Park, Ballajura, Noranda and Morley.
The line has halved the time it takes for Ellenbrook residents to get to Perth CBD from an hour by car to 30 minutes by train.
Saffioti said the line is changing the way people move around the city’s northeast corridor while also connecting young people with educational opportunities.
“I was talking to a few young students from Ballajura Primary School who were going into Perth Modern and one of the things they said to me… was that now the train line will allow them to go to Perth Modern because of the connections,” he said.
Swan City councilor and Ellenbrook Community Collective secretary Cate McCullough said the line also opened up the suburban hub to the rest of Perth.
McCullough is holding Christmas at the ‘Elfenbrook’ festival this Saturday and was expecting a large group of an estimated 25,000 people to arrive from out of town by train.
The rail line also had an impact on average house prices in Ellenbrook; Real Estate Institute of WA statistics show the average house price rose from $505,000 in 2023 to $730,000 this year.
The suburb’s five-year growth rate outpaced Perth’s average growth rate by 4 per cent.
Despite the strong start, the Ellenbrook line will need to double weekday ridership to reach the 18,000 the state is predicted to reach by 2031.
To enforce this increased patronage, the government established special planning zones around Ellenbrook line stations, where government-supported tenement buildings were to be built.
These will result in thousands of people moving within meters of train stations, Saffioti said.
Construction of 100 flats at Ballajura station will start in mid-2026, while the 197-flat complex opposite Ellenbrook will start construction within a few months.
Saffioti hoped to build four apartment complexes near Ballajura station by 2030.
Ballajura and Morley stations have been included in a list of 10 priority station precincts controlled by the WA government across Perth to pave the way for higher density development.
The policy was met with significant backlash from Western Suburbs councils, who were angry that the government was taking planning control away from local people.
Saffioti acknowledged that the Ellenbrook line areas have more positive prospects.
“There’s not a lot of people living in close proximity, so you don’t have the normal kind of community issues, and secondly, the blocks are identified and ready to be built on,” he said.
