About 170 residents packed into the Ellenbrook Secondary College theatre for the first community information session for the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line.
The information session, led by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti and Swan Hills MLA Jessica Shaw, followed an earlier community survey on the project.
Almost 2,000 residents provided feedback about the Morley-Ellenbrook Line through the survey, enabling local thoughts and questions to be directly addressed at the information session.
The survey asked residents along the future rail alignment about their current travel habits and future needs, as part of the planning process for the METRONET rail line to Ellenbrook via Morley.
Overwhelmingly, residents indicated their top three priorities for their suburb was a train line, better public transport and improved recreational or entertainment facilities. Within future station precincts, locals would like to see cafes and bars, recreational areas and retail outlets.
The survey also revealed a high dependency on car travel currently which, if left unaddressed, will lead to unsustainable congestion as the north-eastern population continues to grow.
Planning for the Morley-Ellenbrook Line is well underway with the alignment and future station locations being examined. A contract for the development of the business case is also set to be awarded imminently.
Photo: Perth Train (David Ansen / Flickr)