A Perth business owner, Joe Mahon, has reported that years of railway construction work related to the Oats Street Metronet project have cost his business hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Mahon explained that the removal of the Oats Street level crossing and subsequent works to elevate the rail line and build a new train station caused road closures and parking difficulties. These disruptions, he said, seriously affected his business's bottom line.

He told 102.5 ABC Perth that while he did not object to the public transport upgrades at East Victoria Park from late 2023 to mid-2025, he has requested compensation from the Public Transport Authority (PTA).

The business, Reid's Remotes, was located at the corner of Bank Street and Forward Street, chosen for its street visibility, customer parking, and easy access. However, when Oats Street was closed, customers faced complicated and frequently changing detours.

"At the start it was gradual because it was issues like their workers taking up all the parking onsite so our customers couldn't actually park," Mahon said. He added that the shop was extremely difficult to access at times, with roads sometimes closed during certain times of the day and online maps and GPS services unable to keep up.

Mahon noted that before the level crossing removal works, his turnover had been growing by 25 to 30 percent annually over four years. He also said he was not informed that Oats Street would be closed for 18 months until after the closure occurred.

After the completion of the works, Mahon submitted a compensation claim for $250,000, which he believes represents the revenue his business would have earned had it continued growing at the previous rate.

"Then, once they introduced a road closure, it was like falling off the edge of a cliff. Basically, people couldn't access us," Mahon said. He also expressed the severity of the impact, stating, "I can't see any other option. I can't afford not to. My business almost closed last year."

Mahon highlighted that in 2018, they began documenting how customers found the business, with passing trade—customers seeing the signage and stopping in—being a major source of business.

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