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Spearwood–Armadale railway line

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Spearwood–Armadale railway line
1952 street directory showing the Spearwood to Armadale line as well as the Fremantle line to Woodman Point
Overview
OwnerWestern Australian Government Railways
Termini
Continues fromFremantle line
Continues asSouth Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map
Jandakot railway line
Spearwood joins Fremantle line
Bibra Lake
Jandakot
Banjup
Forrestdale
Westfield
Armadale joins South Western Railway

The Spearwood–Armadale railway line (also known as the Jandakot or Bibra Lake lines) was a Western Australian Government Railways line connecting Spearwood to Armadale south of Perth.

History

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In January 1904, the Jandakot Railway Act 1904 was assented for a 6-mile-40-chain (10.5 km) line from a junction with the Fremantle line at Woodman's Point to Jandakot,[1] with the line opening on 1 April 1906. In December 1906, the Jandakot-Armadale Railway Act 1906 was assented for an 11-mile (18 km) extension from Jandakot to Armadale to join the South Western Railway,[2] with the line opening on 15 July 1907.[3]

It was constructed in response to the need to transport agricultural goods in the Armadale and Forrestdale areas to the port of Fremantle.[4] With the construction of a new Kwinana line from Jarrahdale to Kwinana, the Jandakot to Armadale section closed on 23 January 1964, followed by Bibra Lake to Jandakot on 6 June 1966.[5][6] The Spearwood to Bibra Lake section was retained to serve CBH Group and Elders Limited sidings until it closed in 1991.[3]

Stopping places

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  • Spearwood[7]
  • Bibra Lake
  • Jandakot
  • Banjup
  • Forrestdale
  • Westfield

In the 1980s, the railway corridor between Armadale and Forrestdale was redeveloped as a major arterial road, Armadale Road, joining onto Forrest Road which west of Forrestdale ran parallel to the railway.

References

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  1. ^ Jandakot Railway Act 1904 Parliament of Western Australia
  2. ^ Jandakot-Armadale Railway Act 1906 Parliament of Western Australia
  3. ^ a b Quinlan, Howard; Newland, John (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 – 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-909650-49-0.
  4. ^ Railways (Standard Gauge) Construction Act 1961 Parliament of Western Australia
  5. ^ Bibra Lake-Armadale Railway Discontinuance and Land Revinvestment Act 1964 Parliament of Western Australia
  6. ^ Fremantle to Armadale train line remembered One Perth 31 August 2013
  7. ^ "SPEARWOOD NOTES". The Advertiser. Vol. IV, no. 176. Fremantle, Western Australia. 8 February 1924. p. 2. Retrieved 16 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.