Plaques commemorate old railway line

Fifty year ago, on 23 February 1964, the last train made its journey on the railway line that ran between Fremantle and Armadale.

The City of Armadale will commemorate this part of its history with the laying of a number of plaques close to where the stations, or ‘sidings’ as they were called, were originally located, along what is now Armadale Road.

The original railway line between Jandakot and Armadale was formally opened by the Minister for Works, Mr James Price on 22 July 1907. The railway line transported goods and passengers and played an important part in the development of the Armadale region until the last train ran on the line.

While the Fremantle to Jandakot line had been open since April 1906, the final and most important section of 17.3km long linked the Jandakot siding to Armadale. The construction took more than a year to be completed after much public controversy and fiery debate in the State’s Legislative Assembly.

City of Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones said the last remnant of the track, a small railway bridge over James Drain, is still visible opposite the new Piara Waters estate.

“When driving along Armadale Road in a westerly direction you can clearly see the route of the railway line on the southern side of Armadale Road.

“Three commemorative plaques will be laid at locations close to the Pine Tree Crossing stopping place, the Forrestdale No 2 Siding and the Westfield Public Siding.

“The City will also install plaques at Taylor’s Crossing, near the intersection of Taylor Road, and the other in the vicinity of the railway bridge remnant, when shared paths and road works in the area have been completed,” said Mayor Zelones.

If you are interested in discovering the history of the railway line and viewing maps of where the sidings were located, visit the City’s Birtwistle Local Studies Library located in the Armadale Library, Armadale Central Shopping Centre.