“All over Australia metros are growing. We are starting to bring ourselves up to where the rest of the world has been for decades in terms of how public transport creates liveable, sustainable cities.”
“This project is a signpost for the future,” agreed David Donaldon, head of the local chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects, which runs the WA Architecture Awards, and head of the jury that anointed the Morley-Ellenbrook line as the year’s best overall project.
“These stations along the line will act as a gravitational force for future development.
“Up to now the strategy has been about park-and-ride. This is the next iteration.
They will encourage people to live close enough to the station so they can leave their cars at home and walk or ride.
“The Morley-Ellenbrook project is a catalyst for achieving greater density.”
To see what all the fuss was about I took a ride from the city out to Ellenbrook to see if the $1.65 billion of Commonwealth and state government money was well spent on the line – which was opened by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in December last year – and if the designers deserved the accolades.
The Morley-Ellenbrook line. Credit: Trevor Mein
Even though my journey was on Saturday afternoon and free of the rush-hour crowds it was clear that these five stations were built to be the urban hubs that Hurst and Donaldson are talking about.
Impressively wide platforms and walkways will easily cater for the rapidly growing population in Perth’s north-eastern corridor. In the words of the US president, they are big and beautiful.
While not all of the stations can yet be described as “hubs” — most are years away from having a significant population living within walking distance — it is easy to see how medium and high-density housing will develop around them so motor vehicles can be ditched, and they become European-style town centres (Ellenbrook, of course, is already there).
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And the five stations along the line are surprisingly easy on the eye for buildings whose main purpose is to move the masses in and out as efficiently as possible.
Each of the buildings is low-slung and with a flowing earthy feel so they blend with the surrounds, they have plenty of light pouring in them so they are inviting, uplifting and safe, and they open out nicely to the area around, connecting with paths and cycleways and, in the case of Whiteman Park, a gorgeous outdoor sitting area that visitors would be happy to linger long after their visit.
We have the railway line, which makes for a very pleasant journey away from the increasingly horrendous Perth traffic, and we have a series of wonderfully designed stations that thoroughly deserve their prize.
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