R J Vincent wins $6m rail contract

R J Vincent and Co has been awarded a $6 million contract to prepare almost four kilometres of rail corridor to extend the Joondalup passenger railway line to Butler.

The contract covers earthworks for the railway alignment from the Public Transport Authority's Nowergup railcar depot in Clarkson, to join up with existing earthworks undertaken in 2008 at Butler.

It is the first of the primary contracts to be awarded by the state government for the 7.5 kilometre extension to the Joondalup line.

The project is worth $240.7 million.

Transport Minister Simon O'Brien said that the Butler extension was a strategic incremental expansion of Perth's integrated public transport system.

"The project will also ease pressure on the Mitchell Freeway and major road corridors with more than 2000 passengers expected to board at the new Butler Station each week day," he said.

The new station will include a 900-bay car park and the overall project provides for 11 new buses for feeder services into Butler and Clarkson stations.

The new part of the line is expected to be in operation by December 2014.