Establishment The foundation stone for the original
Richard Roach Jewell-designed Perth station was laid on 10 May 1880, with the station opening on 1 March 1881 as part of the
Eastern Railway from
Fremantle to
Guildford. The station had one through platform with a terminating dock platform at the east end; however it soon proved to be inadequate for the growing railway, and after the opening of the
Armadale line in 1889 put further stress on the facility it was decided that a larger station would be built. A collection of freight and administrative offices and
tearooms were also part of the railway station complex. The station initially had the
Barrack Street and
William Street bridges as limiting factors to its further development, though platforms to the west of the station that ran underneath the Horseshoe Bridge were eventually constructed. The station was the centre of the
Western Australian Government Railways system, with most
regional trains originating from the station, and it also served as the headquarters of the agency until 1976. Following the cessation of most regional passenger services, the completion of standard gauge tracks to
East Perth station, and the relocation of most administrative offices to the
Westrail Centre, by the late 1970s Perth station remained only as a terminus for
The Australind service to
Bunbury, as well as an interchange for
Transperth's suburban services. The railway building has at times housed various commercial operations as well as police offices. The WA Craft Council was a tenant in the 1980s. For a considerable length of time the forecourt area was used for car parking, though this is no longer the case.
Later development As early as the 1950s, there were moves and suggestions for the redevelopment of the station area. Starting in 1988 the station underwent a major upgrade as part of the
Northern Suburbs Transit System project, which included the construction of a new island platform, a steel and glass roof that covered the central platforms, an adjoining multi-storey car park, and the Citiplace Centre retail and community services hub built on a level above the existing station platforms which also connected pedestrian footbridges linking the
Perth Cultural Centre and the
Forrest Chase shopping complex to the station. In 1992, a ninth platform was added along with a pedestrian overpass at the extreme west end of the station which allowed direct access to the railway station from
Wellington Street bus station and
Northbridge. With the introduction of the
SmartRider contactless electronic ticketing system and installation of fare gates, Perth railway station became a closed station in early 2007; as a result the entrance on the Horseshoe Bridge was fenced off and its wooden stairway and overpass was later removed. Further changes to the station occurred as part of the
Perth City Link project in the early-2010s, which saw the above ground rail lines west of the
Horseshoe Bridge sunk and the existing platforms and overpass there demolished to make way for a new public space,
Yagan Square. This reduced the above ground platforms from nine to seven. The station also saw the construction of a new pedestrian underpass connecting the three main above ground platforms, and upgrades and extensions to the roof. In September 2013, a new Platform 9 on the
Roe Street side of the station opened. This new platform was temporarily used for special event services until mid-December 2013, before becoming part of the
Midland line. In 2022 and 2023, the forecourt of the station underwent refurbishment in order to improve amenity and visitor safety. ==Plaques formerly in entrance area to station==