Operated by the Public Transport Authority as part of the Transperth system, the Yanchep line is 54.5 kilometres (33.9 mi) long and has sixteen stations.

[3][4] In 1979, the Fremantle line was closed due to declining patronage, a lack of growth potential, and to save capital and operational costs.

[6] Following a Labor Party victory in the 1983 state election, the Fremantle line was reopened and planning for the electrification of the suburban rail system commenced.

[7] Following the approval of electrification,[7] the Northern Suburbs Rapid Transit Study was commissioned in 1987 by Transperth and the Department of Transport at the request of the Government of Western Australia.

[15] In response to the Northern Suburbs Rapid Transit Study, the state minister for transport, Bob Pearce, set up an expert panel consisting of Murdoch University Associate Professor Peter Newman, Tyne and Wear Transport Director General David F. Howard, and University of Pennsylvania Professor Vukan Vuchic.

The railway was to be 29 kilometres (18 mi) long and have seven new stations: Glendalough, Warwick, Whitfords, Edgewater, Joondalup, and Burns (later renamed Currambine).

[31] The feeder buses were planned to run between pairs of adjoining stations at a 10 to 15 minute headway in peak, covering the area between Wanneroo Road and the coastline.

An additional $27 million for the works to widen the Mitchell Freeway between Leederville and Osborne Park was funded separately[34] and managed by the Main Roads Department.

[37] In November 1989, the Fremantle line was realigned north between Perth station and the Mitchell Freeway to make way for the Roe Street tunnel.

The close proximity of the tunnel to the Mitchell Freeway's bridge footings complicated the construction process and necessitated preventing any ground movement.

[33] After criticism over the encroachment on the lake,[45][46] Premier Carmen Lawrence announced in July 1990 that a review of the plans would be undertaken by Peter Newman in cooperation with Main Roads engineers.

[53][54] The new northbound Mitchell Freeway carriageway opened on 21 June 1992, after eighteen months of construction, allowing railway work along that section to begin.

[59][60] The legislation was introduced to Parliament by the independent member for Perth, Ian Alexander, who wanted the railway tunnelled and a ground-level bus road built instead, calling the bridge a "cheap and nasty solution".

[74] The first stage of the Joondalup line was officially opened on 20 December 1992 by Premier Carmen Lawrence and Transport Minister Pam Beggs.

[92] Wanneroo Mayor and Liberal Party candidate Rob Johnson boycotted the opening after being told he would not be greeting Premier Lawrence at Joondalup station.

[97] Full service on the line between Perth and Joondalup was originally scheduled to commence on 7 March 1993,[98] but was delayed by two weeks as driver training took longer than expected.

[141] The extension to Clarkson and the new Currambine station opened on 4 October 2004, the same day on which the first five B-series trains entered service on the Joondalup line.

[142][143][144] The railway line south of Currambine station was largely left as is, and was not relocated until the Mitchell Freeway was extended to Burns Beach Road in 2007 and 2008 by Macmahon Contractors.

[174] The first contract for the Butler extension, for earthworks north of Nowergup depot to Landbeach Boulevard, a distance of 4 kilometres (2 mi), was awarded to RJ Vincent & Co in December 2010 for $6 million.

[191] The extension was opened on 21 September 2014 by Premier Colin Barnett and Minister for Transport Dean Nalder, three months early and $20 million under budget.

[192][193][194] Following the opening of the extension, some nearby residents experienced excessive vibrations when trains passed by, with a petition complaining about the problem gaining 178 signatures.

[228][229][230] In November 2019, NEWest Alliance was announced as the preferred proponent,[231][232][233] and the contract was awarded in the following month,[234][235][236] the cost of the Yanchep Rail Extension rising to $531.7 million.

[259][260][261] After the May 2023 state budget, the government said that the Yanchep extension "is due for completion at the end of 2023, with services commencing in the new year"[262] That month, the first 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) of track had been laid.

[267][268] The extension was officially opened by Premier Roger Cook and Transport Minister Saffioti on 14 July 2024,[259][260][261] with celebrations occurring at Yanchep station.

After 11 kilometres (6.8 mi), the Yanchep line exits the Mitchell Freeway median for the last time by passing under the northbound carriageway, to enter the residential suburb of Butler.

The remaining 16 kilometres (9.9 mi)[276] of the Yanchep line is largely within a cutting below ground level, passing through developing residential areas and bushland.

[300] In 1989, twenty-two A-series sets were ordered from ABB and Walkers Limited as an extension to their existing contract for the delivery of railcars for the electrification of the other lines.

[306] In May 2002, the government signed a contract with EDI Rail and Bombardier Transportation for the construction of Nowergup depot and the delivery and maintenance of thirty-one three-car B-series trains to be used on the Joondalup and Mandurah lines.

[327] Following years of growth, the Joondalup line's patronage decreased in 2013–14, due to shutdowns relating to the Perth City Link and economic factors.

[327] The busiest stations on the Yanchep line as of 2018, excluding Perth Underground and Elizabeth Quay, are Warwick, Joondalup, Stirling, and Whitfords.