New Light Rail Network set to transform the streets of Perth

In September last year, 54 years after the last tram rolled along the streets of Perth, the State Government announced its plans for the a new Light Rail Network to be called Metro Area Express or MAX.

MAX is planned to be 22 kilometres in length, and take approximately 20 minutes to complete a journey from the end of the line to the CBD. Whilst Perth’s inner suburbs were developed along tram lines, only a very short segment of the proposed route will run on streets that previously had trams.

The MAX project changes the focus of the development of transportation infrastructure in Perth, with all recent efforts being associated with providing ‘Park and Ride’ based stations in the middle of the Freeway to cater to the middle and outer suburbs. Whilst the continuous heavy rail extensions were seen to perpetuate urban sprawl, the MAX system sets out to combat it.

The key strategic planning document held by the State Government is ‘

Directions 2031 and Beyond’

. Directions 2031 and Beyond sets out the vision for the Metropolitan areas as the ‘Connected City’, which requires an improvement on current level of infill development, setting a target of 47 per cent of all new dwellings being delivered within the existing urban footprint. This is facilitated through the housing targets program and a move to start realising infill development opportunities.

However, nearly 3 years into the adoption of the infill housing targets, there is really very little development occurring within the established urban footprint other than small duplex development or major redevelopment sites funded by the State Government.

The reason is twofold, community sentiment towards additional development within established urban areas, and comparative property prices making the trade-offs associated with living at higher densities unattractive.

MAX is seen by many to be the solution. It provides real opportunities to create a series of interconnected activity centres that provide access to a broad range of urban goods, and delivers transport choice. All of this creates a realistic trade off from the typical housing product and a reason to live in a more compact urban form.

Ultimately, the most important factor of MAX is that it represents an ‘infrastructure first’ scenario. The previous norm had been to identify a future station, but not commit to building it until the ridership levels could justify the investment, leaving developers with the impossible task of selling land at higher densities with the promise of a station at some time in the future.

The Government has indicated that construction will start in 2016, after a detailed the planning and design process, with the system to be operating by 2018.

 

This article was written by Tim Dawkins, Associate Director of Planning for WA and first appeared in the Urbis Think Tank. 

Urbis is an interdisciplinary consulting firm offering services in planning, design, property, social planning, economics and research. Working with clients on integrated or standalone assignments, Urbis provides the social research, analysis and advice upon which major social, commercial and environmental decisions are made. With over 300 staff Urbis is uniquely positioned to handle projects from the simplest to the most complex.