Council holds hope for trackless tram along busy Perth road
Two elections packed with promises and cash splashes have now come and gone since the City of Stirling released its business case for a $860 million trackless tram project, but the initiative has failed to secure any financial backing.
Last October, the city released a 675-page business case prepared by engineering consultant group SMEC after a $2m grant by the previous Coalition government in 2021.
The report found the project would be economically feasible and viable, with total benefits over a 30-year period estimated at $586m, given that transport and related issues in the activity corridor currently cost the local economy $50.8m per annum.
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Despite the apparent lack of interest in the project, the city remains hopeful about its proposal, confident that the business case will stand the test of time, and reiterated its long-term commitment to bring it to fruition.
'The city's Trackless Tram Business Case represents a long-term vision for the urban regeneration of the Scarborough Beach Road Urban Corridor,' a city spokesperson said.
'As transport technology continues to evolve, the type of vehicle may change if it is recognised that it can deliver benefits above and beyond what was identified in the city's Trackless Tram Business Case.' The city ran a trial of the trackless tram in November 2023. Credit: Jackson Flindell / The West Australian
However, WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti told PerthNow the State Government had no intention of backing the proposal, firmly distancing it from the project.
'The trackless tram experiment had the backing of the previous Liberal and National Federal Government, but we've been very clear it's not something our government supports,' she said.
'The business case lists the cost of this project at around $860m and uses fully imported trackless trams. We don't support importing, and this is not something we will be undertaking.'
With several major Metronet projects now coming to a close, the city said the State Government's focus was shifting towards improving connectivity to train stations and believes its proposal should be a key part of this.
'The planning focus is now turning to complementing and connecting the heavy rail network to the broader community through the consideration of mid-tier transit solutions,' a spokesperson said.
'This planning aims to identify and prioritise routes and works staging to progress to investment decisions. The Scarborough Beach Road Urban Corridor has been identified as a priority at this stage.'
The proposed trackless tram route, stretching 7km from Glendalough station to Scarborough Beach along Scarborough Beach Road, features 11 stops, with an average spacing of 750 metres. The trackless tram runs on rubber tyres. Credit: Jackson Flindell / Jackson Flindell
More than 1000 residents took part in the city's trackless tram trial in November 2023.
The trial was delivered in partnership with Curtin University, Chinese state-owned vehicle manufacturer CRRC and Shanghai Electric and Infrastructure Technology Solutions.
According to the city, a survey showed 76 per cent of residents supported trackless trams as a public transport option.
The vehicle tested could travel at a speed of 70 km/h, carry up to 150 passengers and operated on rubber tyres.
The trackless tram trial even won the Productivity Through Infrastructure award at the 2024 National Awards for Local Government.
But given the project's hefty price tag and role of local government, the city said it would not be footing the bill. Instead, it was simply advocating for the project's implementation.
'There is no intent for this council to spend money, the council has never said it is going to implement any sort of public transport system, this is an advocacy piece for better transport for our community,' A City spokesperson previously stated. Inside the trackless tram that was tested. Credit: Jackson Flindell / Jackson Flindell
Prior to this year's State election, the Labor Party pledged $14.2m towards a free CAT bus service from Stirling station to Scarborough Beach if re-elected, known as the 'Surf Cat'.
The Surf CAT is expected to run every 10 minutes during peak times, linking Stirling station to Scarborough Beach via Ellen Stirling Boulevard and Scarborough Beach Road in less than 15 minutes.
The Surf CAT is expected to be operational by next summer.
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