{"id":765043,"date":"2026-06-28T04:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/765043\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T04:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:17:19","slug":"long-awaited-perth-to-bunbury-train-service-reopens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/765043\/","title":{"rendered":"Long-awaited Perth-to-Bunbury train service reopens"},"content":{"rendered":"

The long-promised $160 million train service between Perth and Bunbury is back on track after a nearly three-year outage.<\/p>\n

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti unveiled the new service for a test drive this morning, but the three-car train will only open to passengers from tomorrow, June 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Transport<\/p>\n

Rita Saffioti says the new WA-made trains are more luxurious and comfortable than the last service.\u00a0 (ABC News: Julian Robins)<\/p>\n

Ms Saffioti said the new WA-made trains were more luxurious and comfortable than the last service built in 1987.<\/p>\n

“I think WA residents would be happy to wait a few extra months for a locally made train than a fully imported one,” she said.<\/p>\n

“You’re starting a train manufacturing program from scratch.”<\/p>\n

\"Exterior<\/p>\n

The new Australind train services will be doubled from 2027. (ABC News: Julian Robins)<\/p>\n

Ms Saffioti said services would be doubled from next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said there had been an increase in patronage across regional train services, including the Prospector service in Kalgoorlie.<\/p>\n

“We’re hopeful that we are going to see really good patronage,” she said.<\/p>\n

Bunbury residents have welcomed the new service, which was originally due to restart last year, but have expressed frustration over the limited initial timetable.<\/p>\n

The aging Australind train was taken off the tracks in November 2023 after experiencing frequent breakdowns.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The aging Australind diesel train was subject to frequent breakdowns.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 (ABC News: Gian De Poloni)<\/p>\n

Another three trains are set to be rolled out over the next few months as services ramp up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Train service vital<\/p>\n

The Australind train service has run through about a dozen small inland towns since it was introduced in 1947.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With its reopening, initially, four return services will operate per week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, before increasing to two return services a day from early August.<\/p>\n

Retiree Jenny Hebbard lives in the small town of Brunswick, 160 kilometres south of Perth, and has been waiting for the train service to resume.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Jenny Hebbard is frustrated with the initially limited Australind train service. (ABC News: Georgia Loney)<\/p>\n

Ms Hebbard has severe arthritis, and said TransWA’s replacement road coach was not as comfortable or as accessible for those with a disability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This doesn’t really make it plausible for people to catch the train for the day trips that most people were hoping for,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I think that’s frustrating for people because they still feel a little isolated and left out.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Brunswick Junction is one of the stops on the Perth-to-Bunbury train service.\u00a0 (ABC News: Georgia Loney)<\/p>\n

Faster train on the cards\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bunbury MP Don Punch said while people may be disappointed, services were being ramped up, with the aim of reducing the 2.5 hour ride time.<\/p>\n

Perth-Bunbury train service set to resume<\/a><\/p>\n

A long-awaited train service between WA’s two largest cities is set to get back on track in June after a near three-year wait.<\/p>\n

He said he hoped a second train would be in place by August.<\/p>\n

“We should be able to get to a point where we have double the services we had previously, so that will be four return services a day,” he said.<\/p>\n

The journey is set to take 2.5 hours, but Mr Punch said he hoped that could be sped up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The next stage is to look at how we can make the trip quicker,” he said.<\/p>\n

“That again is something we are working with the rail line operator [on], in terms of what might need to happen with rail loops and straightening out parts of the line.”<\/p>\n

Long and winding road\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new train has travelled a lengthy route to arrive at Bunbury station.<\/p>\n

The last Australind train was introduced in 1987 and was expected to last 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Australind line facing extensive disruptions<\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Bunbury to Perth rail line will be significantly impacted next year\u00a0as upgrades are carried out along the Armadale stretch.<\/p>\n

However it was not replaced, and by 2021 its need for constant maintenance was a source of frequent frustration.<\/p>\n

In 2020-2021, the train was out of action for 89 days due to maintenance, and in 2023 it was taken off the tracks to allow for work on the Armadale line.<\/p>\n

The WA Labor government had long promised to replace the Australind train, with the service slated to restart last year.<\/p>\n

Opposition MP Steve Thomas said the service’s reopening was good news, but backed residents’ frustrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s come back one year late, with one of only four trains running and it’s only going to be running four days a week,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s good to see we have it back in action but it has been very slow.”<\/p>\n

A WA government spokeswoman said the four new modern trains, once operational, would provide a more reliable and comfortable service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said a second train would be brought online by late August.<\/p>\n

“Once the second train is in operation, the Australind train will return to its original timetable and supplementary coach services will no longer be required,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We recognise the community is eager to have the service return to its original timetable and thank them for their patience.”<\/p>\n

The service’s stopping pattern between Perth and Bunbury will remain unchanged, with stops at Brunswick Junction, Harvey, Cookernup, Yarloop, Waroona, Pinjarra, North Dandalup, Serpentine, Mundijong, Byford and Armadale.<\/p>\n

It is hoped four return services will operate daily from January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The long-promised $160 million train service between Perth and Bunbury is back on track after a nearly three-year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":765044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,364659,67770,44,364657,364663,38238,67387,41844,364660,55730,364661,364658,364662],"class_list":["post-765043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australind-train","tag-bunbury-news","tag-news","tag-perth-to-bunbury-train","tag-perth-to-bunbury-transport","tag-public-transport","tag-rita-saffioti","tag-south-west-news","tag-train-times-perth-bunbury","tag-trains","tag-wa-rail","tag-wa-train-schedule","tag-wa-trains"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/765044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}