A year after work began on the five stations of the METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line project, impressive progress has been made on the construction. The Morley-Ellenbrook Line in the city’s north-eastern suburbs will provide 21km of new rail line from Ellenbrook to Bayswater, connecting to the Perth CBD.

The $1.1 billion project is jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments, and is the most significant expansion of the Perth rail system since the Mandurah line opened in 2007.

The Morley-Ellenbrook Line includes new stations at Morley, Noranda, Malaga, Whiteman Park and Ellenbrook, and on completion, is expected to be used by 18,000 commuters every day.

As lead architect and urban design consultant on the project, Woods Bagot is working in collaboration with lead contractor Laing O’Rourke, architects Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick, and landscape architects UDLA and TCL.

Ellenbrook Station

Organic ceiling shape and skylight at Ellenbrook Station, Perth | Photo: D-Max Photography

The main station ground works started last October, with Ellenbrook and Malaga Stations the most advanced in terms of construction progress.

At Ellenbrook Station, which is the final stop on the 21km line, rail tracks have been laid while the station interior is rapidly evolving with the application of ochre panels to the main concourse ceiling, which echo the folded sawtooth roofline, bringing the design together.

An impressive skylight features a stunning 24-metre stencil artwork by Whadjuk, Ballardong and Yamatji artist Marcia McGuire, which runs down the centre of the high ceiling, adding delight, movement and direction to the urban commute.

Malaga Station

Malaga Station

At Malaga Station, the third stop along the railway line, all primary structural steel work for the main station and bus interchange is complete.

Featuring a form evocative of the local flora and fauna, the impressive station structure stays faithful to the line-wide design vernacular, while the roofline resembling the edge of a banksia leaf provides a variation on the jagged theme carried through all the five stations.

The roof is approaching completion, with the interior work, including installation of ceiling panels, well underway. It is the first building in the future Malaga town centre and a transport hub for the emerging community.

Commenting on the smooth progress of the project, Woods Bagot project leader Michael Gay said, “Everyone has worked extremely hard and there has been a strong culture of collaboration. It’s very satisfying to see the design narrative successfully translated into built form.”

Main image: Malaga Station

Branko Miletic

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