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Metro Area Express (MAX)
Metro Area Express (MAX)
	Concept image of urban centre station
Overview
Status	Project cancelled
Locale	Perth, Western Australia
Website	www.max.wa.gov.au
Service
Type	Light rail
Services	1 + 2 spur lines
Rolling stock	Articulated trams
Technical
Line length	22 km (14 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

Metro Area Express (MAX) was a proposed light rail network for Perth, Western Australia, as part of Colin Barnett's 2010 announcement of a decade of light rail for Perth. It was scheduled to open in 2018, then postponed until 2022, then replaced by concepts for rapid buses and heavy rail, until it was abandoned in 2016.

Background

Perth's original tramway network, which linked the Perth central business district with many of Perth's inner suburbs, was in operation between the end of the nineteenth century and 1958.

Since the start of 2007, there have been four proposals for the reintroduction of trams to the Perth metropolitan area, in the form of light rail.^[1] At least two of the proposals have been the subject of a detailed feasibility study.^[2]^[3]

In September 2012, the Government of Western Australia announced plans for a new Perth network, to be known as Metro Area Express (MAX).^[4]^[5]

Construction of the first stage was originally scheduled to begin in 2016, and be completed by the end of 2018.^[5] However, in December 2013 the government announced the project would be deferred for three years.^[6] Under the new timeframe the MAX network was to open in 2022.^[7]

In April 2014, incoming transport minister Dean Nalder stated the government would investigate splitting the project into two parts, to allow an earlier start to be made on construction with priority given to the Balga - CBD section.^[8]

In March 2015, the government announced it was considering using buses to implement the MAX route rather than light rail. Transport minister Dean Nalder said a preliminary analysis suggested that using buses would cost approximately 50% less than a light rail system.^[9] In February 2016 it was proposed by the government that a heavy rail line be built.^[10]

In June 2016 the government confirmed that the MAX light rail plan had been cancelled. While still planning a northern transport corridor, Transport Minister Dean Nalder said it would not be implemented using light rail and instead would use other alternatives.^[11]

Route

Indicative route map.

The first stage of the MAX network was to run from the Polytechnic West campus in Balga, in Perth's northern suburbs, to the Perth CBD, with spur lines from the CBD to the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre in Nedlands and to the eastern end of the Causeway in Victoria Park.^[5]

Stops

Stop	Area
Polytechnic West	Balga
Mirrabooka bus station	Mirrabooka
Cottonwood Crescent	Dianella
Morley Drive North
Morley Drive
Dianella Plaza
Woodrow Avenue	Dianella/Yokine
Terry Tyzak Aquatic Centre	Inglewood
ECU Mt Lawley	Mt Lawley
Woodville	North Perth
North Perth	North Perth
Robertson Park	Northbridge
Aberdeen Street	Northbridge
Perth Arena	Perth CBD
City Square	Perth CBD
Swan River
Causeway	Victoria Park
QEII Medical Centre	Nedlands

References

Notes

^ Ryan, Diana (17 January 2011). "Light rail decisions needed now". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ Department for Planning and Infrastructure (2007). "Perth Light Rail Study". Planning Western Australia website. Department of Planning, Western Australia. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia (February 2010). "Stirling tram feasibility study – Preliminary patronage estimates" (PDF). Stirling City Centre Alliance website. City of Stirling. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ "WA's first light rail network gets the green light". Ministerial Media Statements. Government of Western Australia. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Trenwith, Courtney (2 September 2012). "A 'bold' light rail system to 'transform' Perth". watoday. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
^ "Reform and restructure puts brakes on debt". Ministerial Media Statements. Government of Western Australia. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
^ "About the Project – Anticipated timeline". MAX - Metro Area Express. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
^ "Transport Minister Dean Nalder reveals MAX light rail rethink". Perth Now. 27 April 2014. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
^ O'Connor, Andrew (8 March 2015). "Move from light rail to buses not a broken promise, WA Transport Minister Dean Nalder says". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015. Additional archives: 9 March 2015.
^ Perth to Morley underground rail line favoured as MAX light rail put on backburner Archived 11 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine ABC News 2 February 2016
^ O'Connor, Andrew (21 June 2016). "Perth MAX Light Rail promise abandoned by WA Government in long-term transport plan". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.

Bibliography

Brimson, Samuel (1983). The Tramways of Australia. Dreamweaver Books. ISBN 0-949825-01-8.
Campbell, Bob (1999). Getting there by Tram in Western Australia. Mt Lawley, WA: Perth Electric Tramway Society Inc. ISBN 0646-38447-3.
Culpeffer-Cooke, Tony; Gunzburg, Adrian; Pleydell, Ian (2010). Tracks by the Swan: The Electric Tram and Trolleybus Era of Perth, Western Australia. Mt Lawley, WA: Perth Electric Tramway Society Inc. ISBN 978-0-9807577-0-5.
Jones, Colin (1993). Watch for Trams. Kenthurst, N.S.W: Kangaroo Press. ISBN 0-86417-544-2.