Napthine Government promises rail link from Melbourne Airport to Southern Cross Station in State Budget

HAVE YOUR SAY: A NEW train line to take passengers from the CBD to Melbourne Airport in 25 minutes has been promised by the Napthine Government.

The rail link will run from the airport to Southern Cross station under the Coalition’s p

A NEW train line to take passengers from the CBD to Melbourne Airport in 25 minutes has been promised by the Napthine Government.

Premier Denis Napthine says the full plan for the long-awaited link, which the Herald Sun understands could cost as much as $3 billion, will be detailed in the State Budget.

Dr Napthine said on Sunday the line would run from Southern Cross to Albion in Melbourne’s west using existing tracks, before connecting to the airport via a new section of rail.

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But Dr Napthine would not say when Victorians should expect to use the line, where the money would come from to build it, or how much a ticket could cost.

Deputy Opposition Leader James Merlino seized on the lack of information saying it was “another headline without a deadline” that won’t fix overcrowding in the system.

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Dr Napthine said Victorians should take his word that the Coalition “will build the Melbourne Airport Rail Link”.

“There will be services every 10 minutes in peak times.,” he said.

A rail is to be added to car, taxi and shuttle bus to get to the airport, with a 25-minute journey from the CBD.

The new plan increases the likelihood of the $10 billion Melbourne Metro rail tunnel being built, to deal with increased capacity in the City Loop brought on by an airport link.

The Herald Sun reported earlier this year that the government is assessing a new alignment for the tunnel to shift it west, potentially linking with Fisherman’s Bend and Southern Cross Station.

Airshuttle Commuter Express director Peter O’Brien said his plan for a $1 billion monorail to the airport using the Albion alignment would not require the metro tunnel, however.

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He said the company envisaged being able to “tender head to head” against heavy rail options for the airport plan.

“We would anticipate the government mandating best value for money and the opportunity to tender PPP style, to introduce private sector management,” he said.

Melbourne Airport acting chief executive Adam Watson said with a massive growth in airport patronage expected, the Napthine Government had made “a timely announcement which will provide Victorians travelling interstate and overseas with reliable rail transport to the airport”.

A taxi rank at Tullamarine.

Dr Napthine said a stop at Sunshine would allow the new route to link with regional rail services but refused to speculate on potential ticket costs other than saying they would be “affordable”.

Public Transport Users’ Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said it was good to see the government taking public transport seriously but called for more information on the project’s timeline and cost.

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