Bayswater railway station is a suburban rail station in Bayswater, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is the junction station for Transperth's Airport, Ellenbrook and Midland lines.
The station first opened in 1896 on the Perth to Midland railway with two side platforms and an adjacent goods yard. It served as the junction station for the Belmont spur line between 1896 and 1956. Bayswater station was rebuilt as an island platform just to the north in the late 1960s when the Midland line was converted from narrow gauge to dual gauge; the standard gauge trains were unable to fit between the side platforms. Around that time, the goods yard closed.
A second rebuild of Bayswater station began in January 2021 in order to increase the number of platforms to four to accommodate the under-construction Airport and Ellenbrook lines, and raise the height of the nearby low-clearance Bayswater Subway to . The Airport line opened on 9 October 2022. The old station closed on 31 March 2023 and was demolished soon after that. The first half of the new station opened on 8 October 2023, the second half of the new station opened on 8 April 2024, and the bus station opened two weeks later. On 8 December 2024, the Ellenbrook line opened.
Services on each line run every twelve minutes during peak and every fifteen minutes between peak, for a combined frequency of a train every four minutes during peak and 5 minutes between peak. The journey to Perth station is , and takes twelve minutes. Feeder buses run to Elizabeth Quay bus station, Galleria bus station, Bassendean, and other places.
Description ]
Bayswater station is in Bayswater, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is on a viaduct crossing Coode Street within the heart of the Bayswater town centre. To the south is Whatley Crescent and to the north is Railway Parade. It is , Distance from East Perth Station to Perth Station is 2.1 km. Distance from East Perth Station to Bayswater Station is 4.6 km. The sum of 2.1 km and 4.6 km is 6.7 km. or a 12-minute train journey, from Perth station, and is within fare zone one. The adjacent stations are Meltham station towards Perth, Ashfield station towards Midland, Morley station towards Ellenbrook and Redcliffe station towards High Wycombe.
Bayswater station has two island platforms making up four numbered platforms in total which straddle Coode Street on the railway viaduct. The platform is in excess of long, making it long enough for a six-car train, the longest Transperth trains. There are two entry buildings below the platforms, which are on either side of Coode Street. Each entry building has stairs and lifts, with the eastern one also having escalators. The tracks through platforms 1 and 4 are dual gauge. Transperth services operate on narrow gauge; standard gauge trains such as the Indian Pacific and Transwa regional train services do not stop at the station. On Coode Street under the station platforms are two bus stops. There are another three bus stops on Railway Parade, making for a total of five bus stops.
Public art
There are eight pieces of public art on and around Bayswater station. Outside the station's main entrance will be two seating sculptures by Miranda Farmer and Jason Hirst, named Kaarl and Kiep, the Noongar language words for fire and water. In the Leake Street underpass will be a mural of local flora and fauna by Emily Jackson. In several locations around the station will be murals by Andrew Frazer and Jade Dolman featuring the Noongar place name for Bayswater, Biraliny. On the platform is a graphic depicting the river and town centre of Bayswater in an isometric view. On the noise walls along the railway line are paintings of local flora and fauna by Joanna Brown.
History
On 1 March 1881, the Fremantle–Guildford railway line was opened. This railway was soon extended to Midland Junction, and the part between Perth and Midland is now the Midland line. It passed through what is now Bayswater, although at the time, there was no development in the area. The railway line reduced what was previously a several-hour long trip from Bayswater to Perth or Guildford to twenty minutes, which provided an opportunity for development in the area. Development first occurred in Bayswater in July 1885, when the Bayswater Estate was placed onto the property market. The estate centred on Coode Street and King William Street, the first roads in Bayswater. An advertisement for the estate used the railway as one of its selling points. This advertisement was also the first mention of the need for a railway station in Bayswater.
By 1888, there was a railway siding in Bayswater, but no proper railway station. In 1896, the railway line was duplicated. With this came the construction of Bayswater station, at the centre of the Bayswater Estate. The station consisted of two side platforms connected by a footbridge. The station also had sidings for goods. It was located on the slope of a hill, allowing the nearby construction of the Bayswater Subway bridge later. From 28 September 1896, the station was staffed by a station master. The station became the first major employer in Bayswater, needing staff to operate the station, goods yard, and to direct traffic. In 1897, the station served a population of approximately 400. From the opening of Bayswater station, it was the junction station for the Belmont spur line to the nearby Ascot Racecourse. page 66 WN 36
Access to the station was an issue over the decades since it was constructed. At first, the only way into the station was from the south near Slade Street, and the station yard did not have good access. In 1898, the Bayswater Road Board asked the Commissioner of Railways, Frederick Henry Piesse, if a pathway into the station could be made from King William Street, and if a pathway could be made from the goods yard to Coode Street. The commissioner agreed to construct roads from Drake Street to Coode Street, from Slade Street to King William Street, and from Drake Street through the goods yard. He also agreed to have a footbridge be constructed over the goods yard to Rose Avenue to the north. Access issues continued though, with the footbridge not actually constructed, and the access pathways being sub-optimal. In 1932, the station was described as the "worst equipped from Midland Junction to Fremantle". In 1935, road board members described the approach to the station as in a "rough and disgraceful condition, and that part of it was sometimes underwater". The Belmont spur line was closed in 1956.
First rebuild
During the late 1960s, Bayswater station was rebuilt just north of the previous station, as an island platform. This was because the Midland line was being converted from narrow gauge to dual gauge, and side platforms were not compatible with the standard gauge trains. The Bayswater Subway was rebuilt as well with a greater length and clearance. The goods yard was shut down, making the end of goods trains serving Bayswater station. Search for 1 King William Street Bayswater and click the first result. For desktop computer, click icon on the top-right and click "Buy Aerial Photos". For mobile, click camera icon. Select 1965 and 1970 images to see the old station and the new station respectively. From 28 February 1976, the station was no longer staffed by a station master.
The new station consisted of a single island platform with two platform faces. The platform was approximately long, or long enough for a four-car train but not for a six-car train. At the west end of the platform was a pedestrian subway, accessible from the platform by a ramp. There was also a pedestrian level crossing to the east of the station, which provided access north and south. The station had a small shelter, a transit officer booth, and a bike shelter. The station was not fully accessible; the ramps for access to the station were steep, the pedestrian level crossing had gaps of up to , and there were large gaps between the platforms and trains as the station was located on a curve. The southern platform face had a gap of and the northern platform face had a gap of .
Second rebuild Proposals Following the 2014 Forrestfield–Airport Link announcement, which revealed the Airport line would branch off from the Midland line east of Bayswater, residents began lobbying the Government of Western Australia to upgrade Bayswater station. The only works planned at Bayswater station as part of the Forrestfield–Airport Link were minor works to bring the station into compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Local residents said it was a missed opportunity to not upgrade the station. Issues with the existing station were that the nearby subway's clearance of was too low, causing trucks to frequently hit it; the station and surrounding area was run-down; and that there was a shortage of parking at the station.
In the lead up to the 2016 Australian federal election, the Labor Party promised to spend A$1 million on a structure plan to look at rebuilding the station underground, in addition to the $120,000 that was already spent by the City of Bayswater on the structure plan. Federal Labor candidate Tim Hammond said that the tunnelling works for the Forrestfield–Airport Link presented a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for rebuilding Bayswater station underground as well. Labor ended up losing that election, and so the $1 million was not spent on the structure plan.
Before the 2017 Western Australian state election, the Labor Party promised $40 million for upgrading Bayswater station as part of their Metronet project, in addition to the $7 million that was already allocated to the station from the Forrestfield–Airport Link budget. They said that sinking the station was an option they would consider. Labor later won the election, setting into motion the planning for the Bayswater station upgrade.
Planning The scope and constraints for the Bayswater station rebuild were revealed on 8 April 2018. The project's budget had increased to $86 million; construction was scheduled to start in 2019, and finish by the end of 2020, before the opening of the Forrestfield–Airport Link. The plan revealed that Bayswater station will become an elevated station, which would increase the height of the bridge over King William Street/Coode Street from to at least , and create a public space below the railway. The platforms will be long, or long enough to fit a six-car train, whereas the existing station is only long enough for a four-car train. The platforms will also be relocated west to pass over King William Street/Coode Street. This allows the station to be on a straight section of track, keeping the gap between the platform and train to a minimum. This also allows there to be station entrances on both sides of those roads, improving access to the station. The scope also includes a turnback siding between Bayswater and Meltham stations, to be used during partial line shutdowns.