Community briefing notes on the METRONET on Swan ferry project, prepared by Damien Smith.
The WA Government has been planning an orbital railway through UWA-QEII since at least 2016. The ferry business case runs to 2055 and claims millions of additional public-transport trips. So what future transport network was actually modelled, and how much of the patronage can genuinely be attributed to the ferry?
Government says the Matilda Bay ferry may use different routes depending on river activity and safety. That sounds reassuring, but it raises a basic question: who manages all that traffic?
A simple Canning Bridge to JoJo’s ferry shuttle could be designed around the existing Mandurah Line timetable, with a 15-minute off-peak service and a 10-minute peak service. The result is a ferry system designed around train and bus connections, charging and existing river speed limits rather than trying to solve the problem with higher vessel speeds.
Community Briefing Note 09 You can still swim at Matilda Bay. But where, and will you want to? METRONET on Swan Ferry […]
Community Briefing Note 08 The Development Application does not contain the full wake picture METRONET on Swan Ferry ExpansionDate: 19 September 2026Author: […]
The WA Government has relied on a multi-criteria analysis to support Central Matilda Bay as the preferred UWA ferry terminal. Community Briefing Note 07 looks at what Australian and UK appraisal guidance says an MCA should contain, what has actually been published, and asks Government to release the underlying scores, weights and sensitivity analysis.
PTA’s new ferry layout appears to rely on one practical passenger stream for routine boarding and alighting. Modelling suggests the 30-minute timetable only just works at low passenger turnover, while meaningful passenger numbers create accumulating delays. Is high speed being used to compensate for a passenger-flow problem that should have been designed out?
Community Briefing Note 05 — Did PTA choose the ferry system before comparing the alternatives? “Optioneering” is project-management language for something quite […]
COMMUNITY BRIEFING NOTE 04 High speed is not the same as high frequency PTA’s newly released ferry operations material points to roughly […]
COMMUNITY BRIEFING NOTE 02 Do the passengers fit on the ferries? PTA forecasts millions of additional public-transport trips from the ferry expansion. […]