AvonLink facts for kids
AvonLink railcars going under the Great Eastern Highway bridge in Swan View in October 2009
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Passenger train |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Western Australia |
| First service | 24 September 1995 |
| Current operator(s) | Transwa |
| Former operator(s) | Westrail (1995-2000) WAGR Commission (2000-2003) |
| Route | |
| Start | Midland |
| End | Northam |
| Distance travelled | 97 kilometres |
| Average journey time | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Service frequency | Daily (weekdays only) |
| Line used | Eastern |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | WEA/WEB railcar |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The AvonLink is a passenger train service in Western Australia. It connects the city of Midland (near Perth) with the town of Northam. This train is operated by Transwa, which is the regional public transport service in Western Australia.
Contents
A Look Back: The AvonLink's Story
The idea for the AvonLink train started in 1993. A special group was formed to think about bringing back passenger train services.
The First Journey
The very first AvonLink train left Northam on 24 September 1995. It traveled all the way to East Perth. This was a big moment because it was the first new country passenger train service in Western Australia in 47 years! Later, in July 2001, the train's starting point in Perth changed. It moved from East Perth to Midland. This made it easier for people to connect with other local trains.
Expanding and Trying New Things
In June 2004, the AvonLink service was extended to Merredin on three days a week. This extended service was called the MerredinLink. In September 2006, Transwa tried something new. They tested a special Sunday day trip service to Northam. This trial lasted six weeks and was very popular. All the tickets were booked weeks in advance! However, because not enough people used the service at other times, it was eventually stopped.
Facing Challenges and Getting Support
In August 2013, Transwa announced that the AvonLink train would stop running on 30 December 2013. This was because not many people were using the service. They planned to replace it with a bus. However, many people were unhappy about this decision.
- On 19 November 2013, two local politicians from the Wheatbelt region spoke up.
- They presented official requests to the WA State Parliament.
- These requests, called petitions, had more than 3,000 signatures from people living in the Avon Valley. They all wanted the AvonLink to stay.
Because of this strong public support, the Minister for Transport announced good news. On 3 December 2013, he said the AvonLink service would continue. It would run for at least six more months while they worked out how to keep it going long-term. In May 2014, it was confirmed that the service would continue until at least June 2017.
Recent Changes
In December 2014, the service was improved. The number of trains on certain days increased from one to three. However, from July 2017, the AvonLink went back to one service in each direction. It now runs only on weekdays.
How the AvonLink Runs Now
As of June 2022, the AvonLink runs once every weekday. It travels in both directions between Midland and Northam. The train makes a stop at Toodyay along the way.
The Trains: Rolling Stock
"Rolling stock" is a fancy name for the trains themselves.
Early Trains
When the AvonLink service first started, it used trains called WCA/WCE railcars. These trains were built in 1971 and were originally used for another train called The Prospector.
New Trains
In December 2000, a company called United Goninan was hired to build new trains. They built nine new WDA/WDB/WDC railcars. Some of these new trains were for The Prospector. Two of them, called WEA/WEB railcars, were specifically for the AvonLink and the MerredinLink services. These new trains started running on 1 August 2005.
