METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line
Whiteman Park Station. Photo by Robert Frith
Spanning 21 kilometres and incorporating five new stations, the METRONET Morley–Ellenbrook Line is Perth’s most significant public transport investment in over two decades. As a defining piece of infrastructure for the city’s north-east corridor, the project enhances accessibility and transport options to create welcoming, connected, and future-proofed station precincts.
METRONET’s Morley-Ellenbrook Line creates 21km of new track and five new station precincts, connecting the northeastern suburbs and Perth CBD.
The landscape approach connects each station to its local context while supporting a cohesive identity across the line. Precincts reflect local character through site-specific narratives and integrated public spaces that are safe, welcoming and adaptable. Generous shade, event lawns, urban furniture and accessible amenities create comfortable, functional places that enhance daily journeys and support community life.
Morley Station photo by Trevor Mein
Noranda, Ballajura, Whiteman Park and Ellenbrook photos by Robert Frith
Like chapters in a story, each station fits within a broader narrative while retaining its own identity and distinct features. Clockwise from top left: Community, Human Scale, Place, Local. The sketches above are landscape-focused adaptations of concept diagrams by Woods Bagot.
Ballajura Station. Photo by Robert Frith
Gnarla Biddi recognises the deep connection between Aboriginal people and Country. It supports METRONET teams to involve Noongar people in design, celebrating culture, stories and identity in context-specific ways across stations.
The landscape approach connects each station to its local context while supporting a cohesive identity across the line. Precincts reflect local character through site-specific narratives and integrated public spaces that are safe, welcoming and adaptable. Generous shade, event lawns, urban furniture and accessible amenities create comfortable, functional places that enhance daily journeys and support community life.
A key feature of the project is its celebration of Noongar culture through close collaboration with Aboriginal artists. As part of the Gnarla Biddi Aboriginal Engagement Strategy, 14 Noongar and local artists created 20 artworks – the largest art commission across any METRONET project to date. Integrated into station architecture and landscapes via skylights, screens, murals and sculptures, the works celebrate Country, tell place-specific stories and enrich the travel experience.
Whiteman Park Station. Photo by Robert Frith
The project establishes new benchmarks for environmentally sustainable infrastructure in Western Australia. Ellenbrook Station achieved the highest Green Star rating for a rail station in the country, with both Ellenbrook and Ballajura stations certified 6 Star Green Star under the Railway Stations v1.1 tool. In addition, the project received a ‘Gold’ Infrastructure Sustainability Council Design Review rating – the first rail infrastructure project in Australia and New Zealand to do so using a hybrid 2.0/2.1 rating system.
Ballajura Station. Photo by Robert Frith
Sustainable landscape outcomes were integral to the design. Key initiatives include:
Over 4,100 trees and 400,000 climate-appropriate, waterwise plants to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
The use of sub-surface drip irrigation and native species to reduce water demand by 39%.
946 tonnes of FOGO compost as a sustainable topsoil amendment.
16,438 tonnes of crushed recycled concrete in station car parks and 10% reclaimed asphalt used across PTA assets.
Integrated water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) systems that direct stormwater to landscaped areas and support aquifer recharge.
Limited edition posters designed by Unleished Art for the Morley-Ellenbrook Line opening day.
Each station functions as a multi-modal hub, offering seamless connections between train, bus, bike and pedestrian networks. The architecture, urban and landscape design were developed as an integrated whole, balancing local heritage and cultural context with a unified corridor-wide vision. The result is a network of civic spaces that are clear, accessible and well connected to their urban surroundings.
Ellenbrook Station. Photo by Robert Frith
Awards:
2025 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) WA Awards – George Temple Poole Award
2025 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) WA Awards – Public Architecture Award
2025 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) WA Awards – Wallace Greenham Award for Sustainable Architecture
2025 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) WA Awards – Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture
2024 BHP and Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA Diversity and Inclusion Awards – Indigenous Inclusion Award
Details:
Client: Laing O’Rourke, for METRONET
Aboriginal Country: Whadjuk Noongar
Location: Tonkin Highway, WA: Morley, Noranda, Ballajura, Whiteman Park, and Ellenbrook
Dates: 2022 - 2024
Landscape Architect: UDLA & TCL
Collaborators: Woods Bagot (Lead consultant), TRCB
Artists of artworks at Ellenbrook Station: April Pine - entry sculpture; Nathan Corunna & Darren Hutchens - bidi mural; Marcia McGuire & Kamsani Bin-Salleh - metal screens; Marcia McGuire & Penelope Forlano - skylights at all stations
Artists of artworks at Whiteman Park Station: Rohin Kickett & Haylee Fieldes (Fieldey) - underpass mural; Pip Kelly - marker sculptures; Marcia McGuire & Penelope Forlano - skylights at all stations
Artists of artworks at Morley Station: Kyle Hughes-Odgers - façade screens; Melski + Lilsiski - underpass mural; Marcia McGuire & Penelope Forlano - skylights at all stations
Artists of artworks at Morley Station: Haylee Fieldes (Fieldey) - arrival statement pieces (blade wall, perforated screens and balustrade); Marcia McGuire & Penelope Forlano - skylights at all stations
Artists of artworks at Ballajura Station: Peter Farmer & Jason Hirst - arrival sculptures; Marcia McGuire - concourse screens; Mark Datodi - façade screens; Marcia McGuire & Penelope Forlano - skylights at all stations
Photography by Robert Frith and Trevor Mein, as noted
