Operated by the Public Transport Authority (PTA) as part of the Transperth system, the Mandurah line is 70.8 kilometres (44.0 mi) long and has thirteen stations.

The construction of the CBD tunnel was particularly controversial, with that project encountering severe labour strikes and disputes between the contractor and the PTA.

Two infill stations have opened since: Aubin Grove on 23 April 2017 and Lakelands on 11 June 2023; and two more have been proposed: South Perth and Karnup.

[1] With the Armadale, Fremantle and Midland lines about to be electrified in the early 1990s, the report suggested using the leftover diesel railcars to minimise initial costs.

[3][4] The department then released a report in 1992 for recommending a light rail line from Fremantle to the south west metropolitan area.

[5] Later that year, the Lawrence government made an in-principle commitment to building a rail line from Fremantle to Rockingham and Mandurah.

Premier Carmen Lawrence made the commitment ahead of the 1993 state election to build this line as far as Rockingham by 1996, and to Mandurah by 2001.

After travelling along the freight railway, the line would enter a tunnel and emerge within the median strip of the Kwinana Freeway.

[17] Additionally, the master plan found that works were required along the Perth to Kenwick portion for the operation of the Mandurah line.

[12] The Railway (Northern and Southern Urban Extensions) Act, which enabled the construction of the Mandurah line via Kenwick, passed the Western Australian Parliament in November 1999.

It also provided an opportunity for a new station at the south end of the Perth CBD, closer to the offices on St Georges Terrace.

Thornlie, Nicholson Road, and Canning Vale stations were removed from the plan as they were along the Kwinana freight railway alignment.

[39] This decision also led to the relocation of the Rockingham station from the city centre to the outer edge to offset the additional costs of the Perth section.

New MetroRail was a division of the Western Australian Government Railways Commission (later the Public Transport Authority), set up in March 2003 as a rebrand of the Perth Urban Rail Development Project.

The five proponents that applied were City Connect (joint venture between Clough, McConnell Dowell and Obayashi); Bilfinger Berger–Baulderstone Hornibrook; Leighton–Kumagai Gumi Team; Multiplex–John Holland–Tyco Group; and Henry Walker Eltin–Bouygues.

The layout of onramps and offramps at Leach Highway and South Street had to be changed, as that was where Bull Creek and Murdoch stations were to be built respectively.

[59] The tunnel boring machine, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,[60][61] was lifted into position in the Esplanade station box on 14 August 2005.

[63] Following a slight delay due to technical issues during commissioning, the TBM started boring the eastern tunnel on 25 October 2005.

[58][67][68]: 1  With the TBM designed specifically for Perth's sandy soils, it had to be scrapped following the project as no buyers could be found.

[78] In April 2007, Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan revealed the line was delayed, with opening likely in October 2007.

[80] On 9 November 2007, the first train crossed the Narrows Bridge to Rockingham station, testing the new railway line at around 07:30 with a driver and a group of engineers.

[81] The line was officially opened on 23 December 2007, with the first train carrying 1,500 passengers, including 1,000 members of the public selected by ballot.

After the opening of the Mandurah line, the government committed to building a station by 2010 at Richardson Street in South Perth.

[100][101] The Labor Party also promised to build a station at Karnup, between Mandurah and Warnbro, as part of their proposed Metronet program of public transport expansion.

[110] In March 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised $10 million in federal funding for a station at Lakelands, between Mandurah and Karnup.

[120] As a result of the large station spacing, the Mandurah line is the fastest passenger rail service in Australia, with an average speed of 84 kilometres per hour (52 mph).

[131] From the Narrows Bridge, the railway travels along the median of the Kwinana Freeway, parallel to the shore of the Swan and Canning rivers.

21 kilometres (13 mi) south of the Mount Henry Bridge, the railway dives down into a cut-and-cover tunnel, and exits the Kwinana Freeway.

PTA chief executive officer Reece Waldock described the Mandurah line as a "victim of its own success" due to overcrowding and full car parks.

He attributed the higher-than-expected patronage to three factors: a resources boom in Western Australia at the time, an increase in fuel prices, and people conscious of their impact on climate change.