State Labor leader Mark McGowan announced plans to build a train station north of Mandurah at Karnup as part of the opposition’s Metronet policy on Tuesday morning.
The Karnup train station was needed to service the growing suburbs of Golden Bay, Singleton, Madora Bay, Secret Harbour, Port Kennedy, Baldivis, Lakelands and Meadow Springs, Mr McGowan said.
“The Mandurah railway has been a marvellous success and it's done a great job for the southern communities of Mandurah and Rockingham and the outlying communities of Pinjarra and Dawesville,” he said.
“The issue that's arisen in the nine years it’s been open is that between Warnbro and Mandurah there is not another station.
“That means those communities that have grown maybe threefold in size in the time since the railway opened now have difficulty getting to a station or getting a park at an existing station.”
Although Mr McGowan did not say how much the new station would cost or when it would be built, he said a timeframe would be announced before the next state election.
“Over the course of the next 18 months we'll announce timeframes and costings in relation to it but I think you can't afford not to build it,” he said.
“We can see here in Mandurah its absolutely crowded and packed – we know Warnbro and Rockingham stations are the same, so there is a glaring need for a station.
“I can guarantee you this, it will be before the Liberal and National parties would ever consider it.”
Mr McGowan also said he would work with the community in developing a plan by the Shire of Murray for light rail linking Mandurah to Pinjarra.
“Light rail needs to be something that we consider over the long term to integrate with heavy rail,” he said.
“There's plans in Perth, there's plans in the northern suburbs and there's plans down here, all of those things need to be considered as part of Metronet.”
State transport minister Dean Nalder has been contacted for comment.
