For more than a century, Perth’s railway line formed a physical and psychological divide between the CBD and Northbridge. The transformation of that transport corridor into Perth City Link is one of Western Australia’s most significant urban renewal stories; and one we were proud to help tell.
Red Empire Media has filmed many milestone projects over the years, but few have been as iconic or transformative as the sinking of Perth’s railway and the creation of Perth City Link.
DevelopmentWA approached us to produce a film marking 16 years of progress across the precinct. The brief was to capture how a former rail and bus corridor had become a connected urban neighbourhood; one now used by thousands of pedestrians, students, workers, visitors and local businesses.
Telling a city-shaping story
Perth City Link is much more than a major infrastructure project. It is a story about reconnecting the city, creating a sense of place and turning previously inaccessible land into an active destination.
Sinking the railway and the former Wellington Street Bus Station unlocked approximately 13.5 hectares of central-city land. In place of the old divide, the precinct now brings together transport, public spaces, culture, hospitality, education, accommodation and new development.
Our film needed to communicate both the scale of this transformation and its human impact.
DevelopmentWA provided us with an extensive list of potential interview participants, each offering a different perspective on the project:
- Urban planners and project leaders discussing the original vision, community input, planning challenges and urban renewal
- Engineers explaining the project’s technical complexity, sustainability outcomes and the work of delivering above underground rail tunnels, the Perth Busport and major services
- Cultural and Indigenous leaders exploring heritage, connection to Country, public art and the role of Yagan Square as a gathering place
- Students sharing their experiences, aspirations and growing connection with the city
- Development leaders examining built form, land use, public-domain activation, economic impact and future growth
Together, these voices helped us tell a layered story; not simply about what was built, but about why the project matters to Perth.
Capturing a precinct in motion
One of our biggest production challenges was coordinating interviews with people working across very different roles and schedules. We needed to find times and locations that suited each participant while grouping the filming efficiently enough to remain within a limited production budget.
At the same time, Perth City Link had to be shown at its best.
That meant filming the precinct during busy mornings, capturing the warmth and atmosphere of beautiful evenings, and recording aerial and ground-level footage that demonstrated how people now move through and use the area. Working in active public spaces brings its own challenges, particularly when filming around commuters, students, businesses, events and general pedestrian traffic.
Careful planning allowed us to capture both the scale of the precinct and the smaller moments that give it life: people meeting in Yagan Square, commuters moving between Northbridge and the CBD, students engaging with the city, and hospitality and entertainment venues extending activity beyond traditional business hours.
From railway divide to connected destination
The film follows Perth City Link’s journey from division to connection.
Archival imagery establishes the rail corridor that once separated neighbouring parts of the city. First-hand accounts from the project’s planning and construction phases reveal the years of collaboration, complexity and perseverance behind its delivery. Contemporary aerials and street-level scenes then show the outcome: a lively, transit-oriented urban neighbourhood filled with movement and activity.
Culture is central to that story. Since opening in 2018, Yagan Square has become an important meeting place and a setting for art, storytelling, food, music and events. Its design reflects Western Australia’s landscapes, materials and stories, with Whadjuk Noongar culture forming an essential part of the precinct’s identity.
The arrival of ECU City marks another major chapter. With around 10,000 students and staff expected to attend the city campus, the precinct is set to become an even stronger centre for education, creativity, business and innovation. New residential and student accommodation, dining and entertainment will further activate the area throughout the day and into the evening.
A result our whole team is proud of
Producing an engaging film of almost six minutes is no small task in an era of rapidly shortening attention spans. We are extremely proud of the entire Red Empire team for creating a longer-form film that holds the viewer’s interest, along with a complementary teaser that has performed strongly on social media.
A special moment came when we watched the completed film on the giant cylindrical screen in Yagan Square in July. Seeing the story displayed at the heart of the precinct; with the team who helped create it; turned the screening into a mini celebration for us.
Perth City Link demonstrates what can be achieved through long-term vision, collaboration and perseverance. For Red Empire Media, it was a privilege to document the transformation of a place that has fundamentally changed how people experience and move through the centre of Perth.
From division to connection. From vision to reality.
Perth City Link: Connecting Our City, Shaping Our Future.
