{"id":"railway-metronet-act-2018","name":"Railway (METRONET) Act 2018","slug":"railway-metronet-act-2018","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":106447,"registerId":"wa-railway-metronet-act-2018-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Railway (METRONET) Act 2018","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nRailway (METRONET) Act 2018\n\nWestern Australia\n\nRailway (METRONET) Act 2018\n\nContents\n\nPart 1 — Preliminary\n\n1. Short title 2\n\n2. Commencement 2\n\nPart 2 — Authority to construct METRONET railways\n\n3. Authority to construct Thornlie‑Cockburn Link 3\n\n4. Authority to construct Yanchep Rail Extension 3\n\n4A. Authority to construct Morley‑Ellenbrook Line 3\n\n4B. Authority to construct Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension 3\n\nPart 3 — Application of Metropolitan Region Scheme\n\n5. Terms used 4\n\n6. Planning approval not required for certain METRONET works 5\n\nSchedule 1 — Line of Thornlie‑Cockburn Link\n\nSchedule 2 — Line of Yanchep Rail Extension\n\nSchedule 3 — Line of Morley‑Ellenbrook Line\n\nSchedule 4 — Line of Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 10\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nRailway (METRONET) Act 2018\n\nAn Act to authorise, as part of the METRONET plan, the construction of —\n\n- a railway from Beckenham junction to Cockburn (known as the Thornlie‑Cockburn Link); and\n- a railway from Butler to Yanchep (known as the Yanchep Rail Extension); and\n- a railway from Bayswater to Ellenbrook (known as the Morley Ellenbrook Line); and\n- a railway from Claisebrook Station to Mundijong (known as the Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension),\n\n\nand for related purposes.\n\n[Long title amended: No. 1 of 2020 s. 4; No. 24 of 2022 s. 4.]\n\n## Part 1 — Preliminary\n\n##### 1. Short title\n\nThis is the *Railway (METRONET) Act 2018*.\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThis Act comes into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.\n\n## Part 2 — Authority to construct METRONET railways\n\n##### 3. Authority to construct Thornlie‑Cockburn Link\n\nA railway, with all necessary, proper and usual works and facilities in connection with the railway, may be constructed and maintained along the line described in Schedule 1.\n\n##### 4. Authority to construct Yanchep Rail Extension\n\nA railway, with all necessary, proper and usual works and facilities in connection with the railway, may be constructed and maintained along the line described in Schedule 2.\n\n##### 4A. Authority to construct Morley‑Ellenbrook Line\n\nA railway, with all necessary, proper and usual works and facilities in connection with the railway, may be constructed and maintained along the line described in Schedule 3.\n\n[Section 4A inserted: No. 1 of 2020 s. 5.]\n\n##### 4B. Authority to construct Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension\n\nA railway, with all necessary, proper and usual works and facilities in connection with the railway, may be constructed and maintained along the line described in Schedule 4.\n\n[Section 4B inserted: No. 24 of 2022 s. 5.]\n\n## Part 3 — Application of Metropolitan Region Scheme\n\n##### 5. Terms used\n\nIn this Part —\n\nBush Forever area means land identified as a Bush Forever area in accordance with the Metropolitan Region Scheme clause 25(1);\n\nMETRONET railway means a railway the construction and maintenance of which is authorised by Part 2;\n\nMETRONET works means works for the purpose of, or in connection with, a METRONET railway but does not include the construction or alteration of a railway station, or any related car parks, public transport interchange facilities or associated means of pedestrian or vehicular access;\n\nMetropolitan Region Scheme has the meaning given in the *Planning and Development Act 2005* section 4(1);\n\nnon‑railway land means —\n\n(a) land reserved under the Metropolitan Region Scheme Part 3 for a public purpose other than railways; or\n\n(b) land zoned under the Metropolitan Region Scheme Part 4;\n\nPlanning Commission means the Western Australian Planning Commission established by the *Planning and Development Act 2005* section 7(1);\n\nrailway land means land reserved under the Metropolitan Region Scheme Part 3 for the purpose of railways;\n\nSwan Valley Planning Scheme has the meaning given in the *Swan Valley Planning Act 2020* section 3.\n\n[Section 5 amended: No. 45 of 2020 s. 123; No. 41 of 2024 s. 21.]\n\n##### 6. Planning approval not required for certain METRONET works\n\nDespite anything in the Metropolitan Region Scheme or the Swan Valley Planning Scheme, the following development may be commenced or carried out without the approval of the Planning Commission —\n\n(a) METRONET works that involve the clearing of native vegetation on railway land in a Bush Forever area;\n\n(b) METRONET works on non‑railway land.\n\n[Section 6 amended: No. 45 of 2020 s. 124.]\n\nSchedule 1 — Line of Thornlie‑Cockburn Link\n\n[s. 3]\n\nThe line of the railway commences at a point 12.776 km along the Armadale railway line, at Beckenham junction and proceeds in a generally south westerly direction for a distance of 17.5 km to a point, near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 392267 East and 6445208 North, that is approximately 400 m north of the intersection of Armadale Road and Kwinana Freeway, Cockburn Central.\n\nThe course to be taken by the railway is shown as a red line on Public Transport Authority drawing no. 05‑C‑00‑0023 Rev B.\n\n[Schedule 1 amended: No. 1 of 2020 s. 6.]\n\nSchedule 2 — Line of Yanchep Rail Extension\n\n[s. 4]\n\nThe line of the railway commences at a point 130 m north of existing Butler station (Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 376692 East and 6499335 North) 40.9 km from Perth along the Currambine‑Butler railway line and proceeds in a generally north westerly direction for a distance of 14.5 km to a point, near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 371222 East and 6511677 North, that is approximately 2 800 m north of the intersection of Marmion Avenue and Yanchep Beach Road, Yanchep.\n\nThe course to be taken by the railway is shown as a red line on Public Transport Authority drawing no. 14‑C‑00‑0004 Rev B.\n\n[Schedule 2 amended: No. 1 of 2020 s. 7.]\n\nSchedule 3 — Line of Morley‑Ellenbrook Line\n\n[s. 4A]\n\n[Heading inserted: No. 1 of 2020 s. 8.]\n\nThe line of the railway commences at a point 4.232 km along the Midland railway line, prior to Bayswater Station and proceeds in a generally easterly direction for a distance of approximately 1.0 km to a point near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 397968 East and 6468072 North, then proceeds in a generally northerly direction for a distance of approximately 7.6 km to a point near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 397555 East and 6475320 North, then proceeds in a generally easterly direction for a distance of approximately 4.5 km to a point near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 401684 East and 6475588 North, then proceeds in a generally northerly direction for a distance of approximately 8.3 km to a point, near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 401878 East and 6483339 North, that is approximately 60 m southwest of the intersection of The Parkway and Transit Way, Ellenbrook.\n\nThe course to be taken by the railway is shown as a red line on Public Transport Authority drawing no. 25‑C‑00‑0014 Rev B.\n\n[Schedule 3 inserted: No. 1 of 2020 s. 8.]\n\nSchedule 4 — Line of Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension\n\n[s. 4B]\n\n[Heading inserted: No. 24 of 2022 s. 6.]\n\nThe line of the railway commences at a point 0 km at Claisebrook Station and proceeds along the Armadale Line railway in a generally south easterly direction for a distance of 20.9 km to a point, near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 406622 East and 6450046 North, adjacent to the intersection of Albany Highway and Ferres Drive, Gosnells, and then in a generally southerly direction for a distance of 21.2 km to a point, near Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinates 405183 East and 6429246 North, that is approximately 110 m south of the intersection of Bishop Road and Soldiers Road, Mundijong, prior to the junction with the Kwinana‑Mundijong Freight Railway.\n\nThe course to be taken by the railway is shown as a red line on Public Transport Authority drawing no. 00‑C‑00‑0036 Rev A.\n\n[Schedule 4 inserted: No. 24 of 2022 s. 6.]\n\n![]()\n\nNotes\n\nThis is a compilation of the *Railway (METRONET) Act 2018* and includes amendments made by other written laws. For provisions that have come into operation see the compilation table.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Short title** | **Number and year** | **Assent** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| *Railway (METRONET) Act 2018* | 34 of 2018 | 19 Nov 2018 | 19 Nov 2018 |\n| *Railway (METRONET) Amendment Act 2020* | 1 of 2020 | 27 Feb 2020 | 27 Feb 2020 (see s. 2) |\n| *Swan Valley Planning Act 2020* Pt. 10 Div. 11 | 45 of 2020 | 9 Dec 2020 | 1 Aug 2021 (see s. 2(1)(e) and SL 2021/124 cl. 2) |\n| *Railway (METRONET) Amendment Act 2022* | 24 of 2022 | 16 Aug 2022 | 16 Aug 2022 (see s. 2) |\n| *Planning and Development Amendment (Metropolitan Region Scheme) Act 2024* Pt. 4 | 41 of 2024 | 29 Oct 2024 | 31 Mar 2025 (see s. 2(b) and SL 2024/251 cl. 2) |\n\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nBush Forever area 5\n\nMETRONET railway 5\n\nMETRONET works 5\n\nMetropolitan Region Scheme 5\n\nnon-railway land 5\n\nPlanning Commission 5\n\nrailway land 5\n\nSwan Valley Planning Scheme 5\n\n© State of Western Australia 2025.\n\nThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). To view relevant information and for a link to a copy of the licence, visit www.legislation.wa.gov.au.\n\nAttribute work as: © State of Western Australia 2025.\n\nBy Authority: GEOFF O. LAWN, Government Printer\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The legislation has grown significantly beyond its original scope. The original 2018 Act only authorised two railway lines (Thornlie-Cockburn Link and Yanchep Rail Extension). Through amendments in 2020 and 2022, it has doubled in scope to authorise four separate railway lines. Additionally, the 2020 and 2024 amendments expanded the planning exemption framework to include the Swan Valley Planning Scheme and refined the definitions of 'METRONET works' and land classifications, making the planning exemption provisions more complex than originally enacted."},"complexity_factors":["Short statute (only 6 substantive sections plus 4 schedules)","Minimal defined terms (only 7 defined terms in section 5)","Simple conditional logic (single exemption provision in section 6 with two straightforward limbs)","No nested exceptions or complex cross-referencing (only references to Planning and Development Act 2005 and Swan Valley Planning Act 2020 for definitions)","Clear structural separation between enabling provisions (Part 2) and planning exemptions (Part 3)","Schedules contain technical survey data but are descriptive rather than legalistic","Amendments are additive (inserting new railway lines) rather than creating complex interdependencies"],"plain_english_summary":"This Western Australian law gives the government legal authority to build four specific railway lines as part of the METRONET public transport project. It covers:\n\n- **Thornlie-Cockburn Link**: A new rail line from Beckenham to Cockburn (17.5 km)\n- **Yanchep Rail Extension**: Extending the existing line from Butler to Yanchep (14.5 km)  \n- **Morley-Ellenbrook Line**: A new line from Bayswater to Ellenbrook (about 21 km)\n- **Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension**: Extending the Armadale line from Claisebrook through to Mundijong (42 km)\n\n**Key things the law does:**\n- **Authorises construction**: Gives the Public Transport Authority (or relevant agency) the power to build and maintain these railways, including necessary tracks, bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure\n- **Exempts from planning approval**: For certain construction works, the project doesn't need separate approval from the Western Australian Planning Commission. This applies to:\n  - Clearing native vegetation on existing railway land (even in protected \"Bush Forever\" areas)\n  - Works on land that isn't specifically reserved for railways\n- **Defines exact routes**: The Schedules include precise map coordinates and engineering drawings showing exactly where each line goes\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Residents and businesses near the railway corridors (property acquisition, noise, access changes)\n- Environmental groups (due to vegetation clearing exemptions)\n- Local councils (bypassed planning approval processes)\n- Commuters in Perth's outer suburbs (who get new rail services)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is a \"fast-track\" law that streamlines major infrastructure delivery by removing some planning approval hurdles that would normally apply. It balances rapid transit expansion against normal environmental and planning protections, specifically allowing vegetation clearing in protected areas and construction on land zoned for other purposes without standard planning approvals."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as the legislative text was not available in the provided source material. The page returned was a 404-style error from the Western Australian Parliamentary Counsel's Office website."},"complexity_factors":["No actual legislative text was provided — only a broken webpage error message","Cannot assess complexity without reviewing operative provisions, schedules, or amendments","Score of 1 reflects absence of content, not simplicity of the underlying Act"],"plain_english_summary":"## Railway (METRONET) Act 2018 — Western Australia\n\n**⚠️ Content Unavailable**\n\nThe source document provided does not contain the actual text of the *Railway (METRONET) Act 2018* (WA). The link to the legislation has broken due to website upgrades, and only an error page was returned.\n\n**What is known from context:**\nThe METRONET project is a major Western Australian Government infrastructure program expanding Perth's suburban rail network. Legislation under this name would typically deal with things like:\n- Authorising construction of new railway lines\n- Acquiring land (compulsorily taking private property for public use) for rail corridors\n- Establishing governance and oversight arrangements\n- Defining powers of relevant authorities\n\n**Who might be affected:** Property owners near proposed rail corridors, commuters, local governments, and construction contractors.\n\n*To access the actual legislation, visit the Western Australian legislation website (legislation.wa.gov.au) and search directly for the Act.*"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act has materially expanded from its original form. The original 2018 Act authorised specific rail links; subsequent amendments (notably in 2020 and 2022) added two further authorised lines by inserting sections 4A (Morley–Ellenbrook Line) and 4B (Armadale Line and Byford Rail Extension) and added corresponding Schedules. The amendments also broadened planning‑scheme interactions by incorporating the Swan Valley Planning Scheme terminology (s. 5) and modifying the planning exemption provisions (s. 6) so that specified METRONET works on non‑railway land and clearing of native vegetation on railway land in Bush Forever areas can proceed without Planning Commission approval. In short, the Act’s geographic and operational scope has grown beyond the initial pair of authorised projects to cover multiple additional lines and a wider set of planning exemptions."},"complexity_factors":["Short, single-purpose Act (4 main construction authorisations in Part 2 and 4 Schedules)","8 defined terms in Part 3 (s. 5) that control the scope of planning exemptions","Cross-references to outside statutes: Planning and Development Act 2005 and Swan Valley Planning Act 2020","Narrow, conditional exemption in s. 6 with an internal exception: METRONET works excludes stations and related facilities","Precise geographic detail in Schedules (map grid coordinates and drawing references) which fixes routes and reduces flexibility","Multiple amendments over time adding sections and Schedules (insertion of s. 4A in 2020 and s. 4B in 2022) increase maintenance and legislative-history complexity","Interaction risk with other environmental and statutory approvals not displaced by the Act (requires readers to check other laws)","Simple structure but substantive effect concentrated in a short, high-impact clause (s. 6) — few provisions, but significant policy consequences"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (mechanically)\n\n- Authorises the construction and maintenance of specific railways identified as part of the METRONET program. The Act lists each permitted route precisely by map coordinates and drawing references in Schedules 1–4 (see sections 3, 4, 4A, 4B and Schedules 1–4).\n\n- Limits the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) and the Swan Valley Planning Scheme by removing the need for Planning Commission approval for a narrow class of METRONET works: (a) clearing native vegetation on railway land inside a \"Bush Forever\" area, and (b) METRONET works carried out on non‑railway land (section 6). The Act defines key terms used in that limit (section 5).\n\nWho it affects and who decides\n\n- The State (through its transport agencies such as the Public Transport Authority) is authorised to build and maintain the listed railways (s. 3, 4, 4A, 4B and Schedules). The Act itself does not appropriate funds; construction funding and delivery are matters for the State’s budget and implementing agencies.\n\n- The Western Australian Planning Commission (\"Planning Commission\") loses the power to approve certain METRONET works under the MRS and the Swan Valley Planning Scheme (s. 6). That means some planning‑approval steps that would normally require the Commission’s sign‑off are bypassed for specified METRONET activity.\n\n- Landholders, nearby residents and environmental stakeholders are affected because the law permits specified works (including clearing of native vegetation in certain mapped \"Bush Forever\" areas on railway land) to proceed without the Planning Commission’s approval (s. 5, s. 6).\n\nWhy it matters (stated purpose and mechanical effects)\n\n- The Act is drafted to expedite delivery of the named rail lines by removing particular planning approval steps (stated effect at s. 6) and by fixing the authorised alignments in Schedules 1–4 so the State has statutory authority to construct along those routes (s. 3, 4, 4A, 4B).\n\n- By defining \"METRONET works\" and excluding station construction and related car parks/interchanges from that definition (s. 5), the Act narrows what work is covered by the planning‑approval exemptions. Station buildings and associated access facilities still require the usual approvals unless other law says otherwise.\n\nAnalytical checklist: incentives, costs, trade‑offs and risks\n\n- Acceleration incentive: Removing the Planning Commission approval step reduces a procedural barrier for particular METRONET works (s. 6). That lowers transaction time and administrative compliance for the State and its contractors.\n\n- Who pays: The law itself does not create a new funding source. Costs of construction and any remediation or compensation obligations will be met from State budgets or agency budgets (implicit—see s. 3, 4, 4A, 4B which authorise construction but do not appropriate funds).\n\n- Decision‑making shift: The Planning Commission’s formal approval role is curtailed for specified works (s. 6). That centralises discretion over sequencing and on‑the‑ground decisions in the State’s implementing agencies, which changes the balance of independent planning oversight.\n\n- Environmental and community trade‑offs: The Act permits clearing native vegetation on railway land located in identified Bush Forever areas without Planning Commission approval (s. 6(a), definition of \"Bush Forever area\" at s. 5). This reduces one statutory planning safeguard; other environmental approvals may still apply (the Act does not say it displaces all other environmental law), but the Planning Commission’s planning check is removed for those specific activities.\n\n- Narrow scope of exemption: \"METRONET works\" is defined to exclude station construction, car parks and public transport interchange facilities (s. 5). That retains a planning approval barrier for station‑scale development, limiting the exemption’s breadth.\n\n- Legal and operational risks: Because the routes are fixed in the Schedules (precise coordinates and drawing references), any significant change to alignment or additions to authorised lines requires amendment to the Act (the Act has been amended previously to add lines — see insertion of s. 4A and 4B). That creates potential inflexibility or the need for further legislative amendment if routes need to change materially.\n\n- Concentrated vs diffuse impacts: Benefits of faster delivery and reduced approval costs flow to the implementing agency, contractors and suppliers. The costs (reduced planning oversight and vegetation clearing) are dispersed among community and environmental interests near the corridors.\n\nKey provisions to look at in the text\n\n- Authorisation to build: s. 3 (Thornlie–Cockburn), s. 4 (Yanchep extension), s. 4A (Morley–Ellenbrook), s. 4B (Armadale and Byford extension).\n- Definitions that limit scope: s. 5 (including definition of \"METRONET works\" which excludes stations).\n- Planning exemption: s. 6 (overrides MRS and Swan Valley Planning Scheme approval requirements for specified METRONET works).\n\nPractical implications for stakeholders\n\n- Contractors and the State’s project teams can carry out the specified METRONET works described in s. 6 without obtaining Planning Commission approval, which can shorten timelines for those activities.\n- Communities and environmental groups lose one statutory planning gate (Planning Commission approval) for particular actions — they may need to rely on other statutory regimes or administrative processes to influence or challenge those works.\n- Any material change to an authorised alignment or addition of a new authorised line will normally require a legislative amendment (as happened in 2020 and 2022 when new sections/schedules were inserted).\n\nBottom line (mechanical): The Act gives the State explicit legal authority to build the listed METRONET rail lines along the mapped routes and removes the requirement for Planning Commission approval for a narrow set of METRONET works (notably clearing native vegetation on railway land in mapped Bush Forever areas and works on non‑railway land). That expedites some construction steps but reallocates planning approval authority from the Planning Commission to implementing authorities for those specified activities."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/railway-metronet-act-2018","history":"/api/acts/railway-metronet-act-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/railway-metronet-act-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/railway-metronet-act-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/railway-metronet-act-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/railway-metronet-act-2018/documents"}}