Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday, with WA Premier Mark McGowan, I visited a site for the METRONET Forrestfield Airport Link, which is a $490 million investment from the Morrison government. Tracklaying for the Forrestfield Airport Link project is proceeding well, with almost 80 per cent completed. More than 15 kilometres of track has been laid in the tunnels and at the end of each of the lines. This project will deliver an 8.5-kilometre extension of the Perth rail network, which will connect the Midland Line near Bayswater Station to High Wycombe, via Perth Airport. Three new stations have been built in my electorate, Swan: Redcliffe, Airport Central and High Wycombe. More than 100 workers are involved in the rail infrastructure construction for the Forrestfield Airport Link, which includes tracklaying and the installation of overhead line equipment. Rail systems and signalling infrastructure within the tunnels are next at the forefront of works, including the installation of overhead conductor rail, which provides power to the trains.

Once the infrastructure is completed, testing and commissioning will be conducted so drivers can become familiarised with the line. The first operational trains will run in the first half of 2022, due to some delays experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring safety has been a continual priority on the project. The Forrestfield Airport Link and METRONET more broadly play a significant role in the Morrison government's strategy of delivering congestion-busting infrastructure to Australians and in our economic recovery strategy. It is only the Morrison government that supports critical economic infrastructure investment in WA and my seat of Swan.