Premier challenged to build a direct express train line to Sydney International Airport with a bag drop in the city

The boss of Sydney International Airport has called for a dedicated rail line to the airport with a check in at St James station in the city.

The boss of Sydney International Airport has called for a dedicated rail line to the airport with a check in at St James station in the city.

Outgoing Sydney International Airport chief Geoff Culbert said planning for a Heathrow Express style fast train should start now as part of a city building project reflecting the vision of Harbour Bridge designer John Bradfield.

“In the spirit of Bradfield we should be talking about a dedicated train line now before the current Airport Link concession period ends in 2030,” he said.

Mr Culbert unsuccessfully proposed the idea to the previous NSW Government and has now challenged Premier Chris Minns to think big and match the city centre bag drop options for international airports in London, Hong Kong, Dubai and Seoul.

He said the city centre check-in would be a boost for international visitors who could check in their luggage and visit the city before heading to the airport. It would also help ease congestion with the current 40 million passenger trips a year expected to increase to 60 million by 2035.

Geoff Culbert said we should be talking about a dedicated train line now before the current Airport Link concession period ends in 2030. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Mr Culbert said the Chinese market was recovering and was now back to almost 80 per cent of its pre Covid levels of 1.4 million tourists spending $2.1 billion a year.

The number of Chinese airlines has increased from four at the start of the year to 85 with visitor levels expected to be at 97 per cent of 2019 levels by the end of the year.

Mr Culbert said there was a need for more direct flights from cities in India after Air India was privatised and had ordered the world’s largest order for 470 new aircraft.

“We have got 100,000 passengers from Mumbai every year who have to transit via another hub because there is no direct link,” he said.

“We need to make sure there is capacity for them to get into Sydney in the market peaks,” he said. “We don’t need another peak time flight from Sydney to Melbourne in the morning but rather capacity for more flights to India and Vietnam.”

However a cap on slots at Sydney Airport is standing in the way. Research conducted before Covid in 2019 showed that bad weather at 3pm on a weekday for three hours meant 8000 people would be delayed until the following day.

On the first Friday of the July school holidays 10 cancellations saw 40 more flights cancelled on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday because the airport was not allowed to increase slots and catch up.

Mr Culbert said: “One of the recommendations of the Harris Review which is due soon is for a catch-up mechanism to allow us to catch up on cancelled flights.”