Malaga railway station

Malaga railway station is an under-construction suburban railway station on the Morley–Ellenbrook line in Perth, Western Australia. The station is located east of Tonkin Highway, north of Marshall Road, and west of Beechboro Road North, within the rural area of Whiteman, and near the residential areas of Ballajura, Beechboro, and Bennett Springs.

Malaga station consists of an island platform with entrances to the north and south via a bridge. The contract for the construction of the Morley–Ellenbrook line was awarded to Laing O'Rourke in October 2020 and construction began in 2022. By the middle of 2023, the station's roof was being constructed, and by the end of 2024, the station and line are planned to open.

There are planned to be five trains per hour stopping at Malaga station during peak, reducing to four trains per hour outside peak. A journey to Perth station is expected to take 21 minutes. Feeder bus routes will serve the surrounding area.

Description
Malaga station is in Whiteman, a north-western suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The station is within the area bounded by Tonkin Highway to the west, Marshall Road to the south, and Beechboro Road North to the east and north. The station is on the Morley–Ellenbrook line, which is owned by the Public Transport Authority, a state government agency. It will be part of the Transperth system when the line opens in 2024. The adjacent stations are Whiteman Park station to the east and Noranda station to the south. The station is within fare zone two.

Malaga station has a 150 m island platform, long enough for a B-series or C-series train. The platform is linked to the north and south by a concourse bridge, which is connected to ground level by lifts and stairs, with provisions for escalators to be built in the future. The platform was initially planned to be in a cutting below ground level with the entrance at the concourse level, but this was changed so that the platform is at ground level. Malaga station was designed to architecturally fit in with the other four stations on the Morley–Ellenbrook branch, using the same design language, particularly with the roof geometry and materials used. At the southern entrance is a 12-stand bus interchange and a car park with 1,100 bays. Road access to the station is via Beechboro Road South. Other facilities include a bike shelter, kiosk, and toilets. The station is fully wheelchair accessible.

As of the time of construction, the Malaga station site is vacant rural land, with the nearest residential and industrial areas on the other side of Tonkin Highway and/or Marshall Road. The land is state owned, and is planned to be redeveloped by the Western Australian Planning Commission. The Malaga Station Precinct Structure Plan is being created to determine how the area will develop, with a draft plan expected to be released in 2024. So far, the only development in the area has been a film studio,  which started construction in January 2024.

To the west of Malaga station, on the other side of Tonkin Highway, is the residential area of Ballajura, which will be connected to Malaga station by a footbridge across the highway. To the south and south-east, on the other side of Marshall Road, are the residential areas of Beechboro and Bennett Springs. To the south-west, on the other side of Marshall Road and Tonkin Highway, is the industrial area of Malaga. To the east is Whiteman Park, a nature reserve and tourism destination.

There will be three pieces of public art at Malaga station. Near the entrances will be two pairs of sculptures by Peter Farmer and Jason Hirst representing how the Indigenous Noongar people travelled together in search of food and water sources. On the concourse will be a perforated screen artwork by Marcia McGuire. On the screens on the station's façade will be artwork based on banksia trees, by Mark Datodi.

History
Constructing the Morley–Ellenbrook line by 2023 as part of the Metronet project was committed to by the Labor Party before it won the 2017 state election. The route of the Morley–Ellenbrook line was officially confirmed in August 2019. It had the line running in the median strip of Tonkin Highway north from Bayswater, exiting north of Marshall Road to travel east, with Malaga station located in the land bounded by Tonkin Highway, Marshall Road, and Beechboro Road North. The A$753million main construction contract for the Morley–Ellenbrook line was awarded to the MELconnx Consortium, consisting of Laing O'Rourke, in October 2020.

Early works on Malaga station were underway by August 2021, starting with the set up of site compounds. The first concept designs for Malaga station were revealed in September 2021. The station was designed by lead architects Woods Bagot. Construction of Malaga station was planned to commence in September 2022. Initially, no footbridge to connect Malaga station to Ballajura was planned, but in November 2022, it was announced that a footbridge would be constructed by the Tonkin Gap Alliance, the same alliance that was doing the enabling works for the Morley–Ellenbrook line along Tonkin Highway. The footbridge was a result of a community survey undertaken by Metronet in 2021. By November 2022, construction on Malaga station's foundations was underway, and piling for the Beechboro Road North bridge was complete. The footbridge's design was revealed to the public in July 2023, as an arch bridge with a span of 90 m. In mid-2023, the roof on the upper level of Malaga station was being installed. As of March 2024, the station was nearly 75 percent complete, with structural works finished and lift installation beginning.

The Morley–Ellenbrook line and Malaga station are planned to open by the end of 2024.

Services
Malaga station will be served by Morley–Ellenbrook line services, which will run between Ellenbrook station and Perth station. These services will be part of the Transperth network and will be operated by the Public Transport Authority. It is planned for there to be five trains per hour in each direction stopping at Malaga station during peak, reducing to four trains per hour outside of peak. A journey to Perth station is expected to take 21 minutes. It is projected that Malaga station will have 3,084 daily boardings by 2031.