Tribune’s note

The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government marked the completion of the Karrinyup bus depot upgrade in Perth's northern suburbs — now the largest EV bus depot in Western Australia, fitted with 56 dual chargers providing 112 plugs [TA-260718-infras-c3e7d2c36c21:m00AMR]. Karrinyup is the third site completed under a $250 million joint federal-state program, following Elizabeth Quay Bus Station and the Malaga Bus Depot, and brings the total electric buses delivered under the program to 130 [TA-260718-infras-c3e7d2c36c21:m00AMR].

Fifty-three electric buses are currently operating at Karrinyup, with the site targeting 110 by year-end and the broader network absorbing 11 new electric buses each month. Further depot upgrades are under way at Bayswater and Jandakot North, with Welshpool, Joondalup and Claisebrook in planning [TA-260718-infras-c3e7d2c36c21:m00AMR].

The ministerial media release framed the $125 million federal contribution as underpinning charging infrastructure across the entire Transperth network, with the minister and state counterparts jointly emphasising job creation and alignment with the Western Australian government's Made in WA plan. The explicit linkage of locally manufactured electric buses to a federal infrastructure commitment signals that the portfolio is treating this program as a vehicle for both emissions reduction and domestic industry development — a cross-portfolio thread touching Industry and Innovation alongside Transport [TA-260718-infras-c3e7d2c36c21:m00AMR].

This announcement continues a delivery-focused week for the portfolio. The day prior saw the minister highlight progress on the Bruce Highway centre-median widening program in Queensland — a road-safety infrastructure milestone of a different character. The move from road projects to electric public-transport infrastructure in a single 36-hour window illustrates the portfolio's breadth and its consistent emphasis on tangible project completions as the primary communications register.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

MediaKarrinyup bus depot boosted with EV chargingCatherine KingSaturday 18 July 2026