The fanfare of the Thornlie-Cockburn Line launch is starting to settle, and now, some commuters are asking when the coffee and curry puffs will be back.
Thousands turned out on Sunday to mark the official opening of the new line and five elevated Armadale Line stations, enjoying free food, entertainment and community stalls at Nicholson Road, Ranford Road and Thornlie stations.
But since then, the absence of food and drink options at the stations has become a hot topic, with many asking when kiosks or vending machines will return, especially at Thornlie Station.
Responding to the Examiner, a METRONET spokesperson confirmed there are plans to introduce a retail option at Thornlie Station.
However, there are no commercial tenancy spaces constructed for Nicholson Road or Ranford Road stations.
A single retail tenancy is planned for each of the future Armadale and Byford stations. Expressions of interest for both sites closed on May 12, and shortlisting is now underway.
Local resident Chris Bars said he remembered the old Thornlie kiosk fondly.
“I would occasionally buy a quick breaky treat when I was running a bit late and hadn’t had a bite to eat,” he said.
“This is probably not the answer you are looking for but I kind of have a thing for Curry Puffs. The bloke that ran the Thornlie Station Kiosk was always great. Fresh hot curry puffs every morning. That was my favourite thing.”
While he’s noticed the lack of kiosks across the new and upgraded stations, Chris said it’s not unique to just the Thornlie-Cockburn Line.
“To be honest it’s not just the new stations that are lacking kiosks. There are other stations that don’t have kiosks,” he said.
For Chris, it’s not a deal-breaker as he commutes via bus and often stops at Murdoch Station, where he said the kiosk is “perfectly functioning.”
But he does believe a kiosk could enhance the experience for daily train users.
“The bus routes around are kind of a mess at the moment but I presume they will be revised in the coming months,” he said.
“It’s hard to make comment as we’re talking about essentially being one week into a train line that hasn’t been operational before; 18 months for the Thornlie to Perth portion. Sure, the train could be cheaper…”
The launch marked Perth’s first east-west cross line connection, linking the Mandurah and Armadale lines for the first time. A trip from Nicholson Road to Perth now takes 27 minutes, while the journey from Ranford Road takes 31 minutes.
Premier Roger Cook called the opening “a transformative moment for Perth’s public transport,” while Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the new line would “connect tens of thousands of people to a train line for the first time.”
Despite the success of the launch, it’s clear that some commuters are still craving the smaller comforts, like a morning coffee or a hot snack, to help bring the station experience full circle.
More information on future retail spaces at Byford and Armadale stations can be found through Burgess Rawson.
