METRONET — ARMADALE RAIL LINE
329. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the Leader of the House representing
the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the minister's
response yesterday in relation to the closure of the Armadale line and the
importance of providing access to documents for transparency purposes.
(1) When was the minister first
aware of the need to consider closure options for the Armadale line?
(2) Which
organisations provided the minister with the options concerning the closure of
the Armadale line—for example, was this the Public Transport Authority's
advice or Main Roads' advice, or did the minister rely on the guidance
of any non-government entity; and, if so, which?
(3) When did the minister receive
this advice?
(4) How many options were considered
by the minister?
(5) When did the minister make her
decision?
(6) On what date did the government
make the decision to close the Armadale line for 18 months?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(6) For
every project, rail or road, there is often disruption to the users of the
existing infrastructure. This is particularly
the case for many of the Metronet projects, where work is often being
undertaken on live train lines.
Contractors work with the department in relation to these shutdowns, and the
department in particular will seek to ensure that commuters have access
to replacement services and alternative routes, and that disruptions are kept
to a minimum. Advice is received throughout the procurement process, and as
stated yesterday, this process is still ongoing, with the contract for the
Victoria Park–Canning level crossing removal
project yet to be awarded. Ordinarily, the operational impact of these
contracts, such as shutdowns, are not announced until after the contract
is awarded. However, in the interests of transparency, the government deemed it
appropriate to inform the community of the shutdown early. As a result, we now
have the opportunity to undertake significant community consultation on replacement
services.