Men with a vision: Mandurah will soon have a new tourist attraction thanks to Arthur Harrison and Jeremy Whitfield.
‘ALL aboard’ will be a familiar sound around Mandurah soon when it gets a new tourist train later this year.
The train is the first of its kind in Australia and will tour Mandurah’s foreshore and tourist attractions while stopping at numerous stations around town where people can get on or off at their own will.
It will leave from a station near the foreshore and travel towards the marina, showcasing local cafés and restaurants, historical landmarks and things to do.
Passengers will get a commentary about the City’s history, eateries and activities on offer.
Retired businessmen Arthur Harrison and Jeremy Whitfield first came up with the idea to bring the train to Mandurah after seeing similar ones touring China and Europe.
Mr Harrison is an avid model train collector and wanted to join his passion of trains and love of Mandurah while offering locals and tourists a new way of viewing the City and all it has to offer.
“The idea behind the train is to get tourists to come to Mandurah,” he said,
“It is ideally suited to Mandurah because town is far too disjointed and the train will join all tourist areas together.
“It has a set route, leaving the tourist centre on the foreshore before visiting local cafés and restaurants, hotels and attractions like the war memorial.”
Mr Harrison said the Austrian designed train will seat between 40 and 60 passengers, depending on how many carriages attached to the engine.
The train has a maximum speed of 25km/h and Mr Harrison said it is “very safe” because all the carriages track, meaning they travel in the exact route as the engine.
Mr Harrison and Mr Whitfield are currently working on the train’s design and said it will have retractable doors on all the carriages for safety as well as alarms and bells for alerting people its approaching.
The route will take the train along roads like Tuckey Street and Pinjarra Road, just over the old bridge, but Mr Harrison said a lot of planning and thought has gone into preventing any upset to traffic.
The train ride will take about 45 minutes and will run on the hour every hour seven days a week between 9am-3pm in peak seasons but will be subject to change in accordance with weather and events.
Mr Whitfield said local council officers and businesses have been very supportive and are looking forward to the benefits the train will bring to Mandurah.
The pair are personally funding the project and plan to order the train this week and hope to have it up and running by the end of September, early October.
