Yanchep railway station is a suburban rail station in Yanchep, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The station has been the northern terminus of Transperth's Yanchep line since it opened on 14 July 2024.

Description

Yanchep station is in Yanchep, a far northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The station is 54.5 kilometres (33.9 mi) from Perth Underground station and in fare zone six. It is the northernmost station of the Yanchep line. To the south, the next station is Eglinton station.

The station consists of one island platform and one side platform sunk into a cutting. On top of the platforms is a ground level concourse, connected to the platforms by a set of lifts, stairs and escalators. East of the station is the bus interchange with fourteen stands, and north-east is a car park with 1,000 bays. Other facilities include parking for bicycles and toilets. The station is fully accessible.

Public art

On the retaining walls at platform level is a mural by Jack Bromell, depicting local flora and fauna such as Banksia leaves, tuart leaves, Carnaby's black cockatoos and kangaroos. The mural's colours come from Yanchep's reefs, lagoon, limestone cliffs, Banksia forests, wetlands and tuart trees. On the interior ceiling is an art piece by Penelope Forlano which consists of "hanging elements representing the stalactites and natural forces that shape Yanchep’s wetlands, lagoons and cave". On the underside of the entrance's shade canopies are paintings representing native fauna and flora.

History

The original stage of the Yanchep line, formerly known as the Joondalup line, began construction in November 1989. It was opened between Perth station and Joondalup station on 20 December 1992, and extended to Currambine station on 8 August 1993. An extension to Clarkson station opened on 4 October 2004 and an extension to Butler station opened on 21 September 2014.

To cater for continuous population growth in the northern suburbs of Perth, in 2017, the government initiated the Yanchep Rail Extension, an extension of the Joondalup line 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) to Yanchep, with three new stations: Alkimos, Eglinton, and Yanchep. The Yanchep Rail Extension was part of the government's wider Metronet project to expand and upgrade Perth's rail network, and was delivered by the Public Transport Authority (PTA). The PTA chose to put the Yanchep Rail Extension under the same contract as the Thornlie–Cockburn Link. The contract for the Yanchep Rail Extension and the Thornlie–Cockburn Link was awarded to the NEWest Alliance, a joint venture of CPB Contractors and Downer.

Earthworks for the Yanchep Rail Extension began in mid-2020. The design of Yanchep station was revealed in August 2020. Foundation works for Yanchep station had begun by the end of 2021. In early April 2023, the Yanchep station deck was poured, in what was the rail extension's largest concrete pour. By March 2024, construction was almost complete, with finishing touches being applied and landscaping being done.

Opening

The Yanchep Rail Extension was originally meant to open in late 2021. This was first delayed to 2022. After the September 2021 state budget, the extension was delayed to late 2023. After the May 2023 state budget, the government said that the Yanchep extension "is due for completion at the end of 2023, with services commencing in the new year". At the end of 2023, the Yanchep extension was still under construction and services were planned to commence in the first half of 2024. The actual opening date was revealed in April 2024. The station officially opened on 14 July 2024 with an opening ceremony and celebrations. Upon opening, the Joondalup line was renamed the Yanchep line. Regular train and bus services commenced the following day.

Services

Yanchep is served by the Yanchep line on the Transperth network. Services are operated by the PTA. The line goes between Yanchep and Elizabeth Quay station in the Perth central business district, continuing south from there as the Mandurah line. Peak headways are five to ten minutes, dropping to fifteen minutes outside of peak and on weekends and public holidays. A train journey to Perth takes 49 minutes. It is projected that Yanchep station will have 11,032 daily boardings by 2031.

The station's bus network has four bus routes. Routes 494, 495 and 496 run south to Eglinton station via Yanchep Central Shopping Centre and the residential areas of Yanchep. Route 498 runs north to Two Rocks. The headways on each of these routes are 20 minutes during peak, 30 minutes between peaks and 60 minutes on weekends and public holidays, except route 496, which has a 60 minute headway between peaks.