Also known as the Parkerville deviation, the Second Route via Swan View, John Forrest National Park, Hovea, Parkerville and Stoneville, through to Mount Helena, opened on 1 July 1896, little over a decade after the First Route.
Its grades were less demanding, and the line did not suffer from the more serious problems of the first route.

The line was originally only a single track, and featured Western Australia's first (and, until 1990, only) railway tunnel.
As traffic increased the newer route was duplicated, with the second track bypassing the tunnel, resulting in a slightly longer journey for trains heading across the Darling Scarp.
The Second Route closed on 13 February 1966.
Also known as the Parkerville deviation, the Second Route via Swan View, John Forrest National Park, Hovea, Parkerville and Stoneville, through to Mount Helena, opened on 1 July 1896, little over a decade after the First Route. Its grades were less demanding, and the line did not suffer from the more serious problems of the first route.
The line was originally only a single track, and featured Western Australia's first (and, until 1990, only) railway tunnel. As traffic increased the newer route was duplicated, with the second track bypassing the tunnel, resulting in a slightly longer journey for trains heading across the Darling Scarp. The Second Route closed on 13 February 1966.
Eastern Railway (Western Australia)