90 minutes of torment: Sunshine to Melbourne Airport on a Myki is a voyage for the foolish or time-rich

Two trains, a bus, delays and no one to help. Follow along as a trip shorter than 15km door to door becomes an odyssey on Melbourne’s broken transit system.

The 7.56 City Loop train from Sunshine is, of course, delayed.

A tardy train is a signal of what’s to come on a journey which only the foolish or extremely time-rich would attempt: getting from Sunshine station to the airport on a myki card.

The weird and decidedly not wonderful voyage will take me via North Melbourne and Broadmeadows, and involve two trains and a bus.

I eventually board a city-bound train for the first leg.

There is a conspicuous lack of any station announcements on the old, tired vehicle filled with commuters and school kids.

The journey begins at Sunshine station. Picture: David Crosling

A combination of constantly checking my phone and craning my neck out of the window at each stop allows me to successfully change trains at North Melbourne shortly before 8.20.

I am at least able to walk straight across the platform and board a Craigieburn line train to take me back out of the city to Broadmeadows for my next changeover.

I don’t notice anyone else making the same change.

Once aboard my next train I am treated to a series of delays.

We are inexplicably held for about ten minutes outside Oak Park, the train occasionally lurching forward to give those aboard false hope before coming to a stop just a few metres later.

After two trains, the final leg takes place on one of the city’s buses. Picture: NewsWire/Nicki Connolly

Another delay soon follows tantalisingly close to Broadmeadows. This one is at least explained, after a fashion, with a recorded voice blaring out, “due to safety requirements, we’re going to be delayed for around five to ten minutes.”

The “sorry for the inconvenience”, which follows feels more like an insult than an apology. Luckily I don’t have a plane to catch.

Once I finally arrive at Broadmeadows, I wait in the cold for a few minutes before hopping on the 901 bus to the airport.

The long, winding road from Sunshine to Melbourne Airport. Picture: Google Maps

Disembarking at my destination at 9.21am, nearly a full hour and a half after arriving at Sunshine, I wonder who else would be crazy enough to try the same route.

Nobody I speak to at the airport has.

The Airport Rail Link can’t come quickly enough.