Consortium aims for 20-minute trip on city-to-airport link

TRAINS from the CBD to Melbourne Airport would run every 10 minutes and trips would take just 20 minutes under a new plan for the $15 billion airport rail link.

TRAINS from the city to Melbourne airport would run every 10 minutes and trips would take just 20 minutes under a plan for the $15 billion airport rail link.

Tickets will cost $20 and tunnels will take passengers on dedicated lines through Sunshine under the proposal to be presented to the state government tomorrow.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal a private consortium wants to spend $5 billion on the project and start work in 2020.

MELBOURNE’S AIRPORT RAIL WILL GO THROUGH WEST

REGISTRATIONS OF INTEREST CALL FOR AIRPORT LINK

GOVERNMENT PLEDGES $5B FOR AIRPORT RAIL LINK

The bid — by Melbourne airport, Metro Trains, Southern Cross station and super fund giant IFM Investors — would involve custom-built trains running around the clock via a major new transport hub at Sunshine.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal their proposal includes:

BUILDING 27km of tracks between the city and the airport — including twin tunnels through west Melbourne — along the state government’s preferred route via Sunshine.

A STATION beneath the airport forecourt to take travellers directly into the terminals.

A MAJOR redevelopment of Southern Cross station, which would also overhaul the troubled Spencer St shopping centre. The new rail tunnel portal into the station would align with La Trobe St.

An artist’s impression of the proposed Melbourne Airport station. Picture: AirRail Melbourne

The construction of dedicated tracks would give travellers a reliable 20-minute express service running every 10 minutes at peak times that would not clash with suburban services.

Modelling produced by the AirRail Melbourne consortium shows that would also free up capacity for an extra 16 regional rail services to run from Southern Cross every hour.

Travel times for regional commuters would be cut by 10 minutes, with Sunshine becoming a hub for commuters travelling to and from Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Metro Trains acting managing director Leah Waymark said it would be a “world-class” service allowing travellers to “plan their journey with precision”, rather that battling traffic on the Tullamarine Freeway.

An artist’s impression of the proposed Sunshine Station as part of the Melbourne Airport rail link. Picture: AirRail Melbourne

The consortium has also forecast the airport rail link would take 15,000 cars off the road every day in Melbourne’s north and west.

The plan will be reviewed as a market-led proposal by the state government, which this week called for engineers, designers and construction companies to register their interest in building the project.

Designs produced by the AirRail Melbourne consortium show what Melbourne airport boss Lyell Strambi said would be “a seamless passenger experience at the airport, properly integrated between the train carriage and the terminal”.

An artist’s impression of the proposed station at Southern Cross as part of the Melbourne Airport rail link. Picture: AirRail Melbourne

Airport rail tickets — priced similarly to the current SkyBus service, and half the cost of an Uber trip from the CBD — would also be fully integrated into the myki ticketing system.

IFM Investors, a $112 billion fund manager, already owns a quarter of the airport as well as Southern Cross station. The Sunday Herald Sun revealed in 2016 that IFM was considering how it could become involved in building the rail link.

Under the plan, IFM would keep the ticket revenue, with chief Brett Himbury saying the rail link would become a “dependable long-term” investment for a fund that looks after the superannuation of half of Victoria’s working population.

A joint federal-state government business case for the project is expected to be completed by the end of next year, with construction to start in 2022, but the consortium argues work could begin in two years.

The federal and state governments have each pledged $5 billion for the link.

AirRail Melbourne’s proposed route to Melbourne Airport.

BY THE NUMBERS

- $15 billion plan with $5 billion from the AirRail Melbourne consortium

- 20-minute trip between the airport and the CBD

- Trains every 10 minutes in peak times

- Services running 24/7

- 12,000 jobs supported in each year of construction

- Work could start in late 2020, two years earlier than expected

- 27km of new, dedicated rail lines

- One-way tickets less than $20 in today’s prices

- 10 minutes cut off regional rail trips to the city

- 15,000 vehicles taken off the road in Melbourne’s north and west each day

- Capacity for 16 extra regional rail services to Southern Cross every hour

An artist’s impression of a custom train for the Melbourne Airport rail link. Picture: AirRail Melbourne

COMMENT: A SMART IDEA THAT JUST MIGHT TAKE OFF

AIRPORT rail has long been the Holy Grail of Victorian transport projects.

This year, after half a century of dithering, all the pieces have started falling into place. Malcolm Turnbull offered $5 billion, Daniel Andrews followed up with $5 billion of his own, and today the private sector is offering to top that up with another $5 billion.

But this is no pie-in-the-sky offer from a super fund giant with dollar signs in its eyes.

IFM Investors own Southern Cross station and a quarter of Melbourne Airport, and it had long been suspected they would want to get involved in building a rail line linking its lucrative assets.

Now they’ve gone one better, stitching up Melbourne Airport and Metro Trains to help develop the most comprehensive vision we have seen for this long-awaited project.

Dedicated rail lines, a fast 20-minute service, affordable tickets, purpose-built trains — this is everything experts say a modern airport rail connection needs.

The AirRail Melbourne consortium will deliver their plan to the state government tomorrow, and it will be put through a rigorous process to see if it will deliver value for money for taxpayers.

While Andrews may be cautious about another market-led proposal, given the backlash over Transurban’s role in the new West Gate Tunnel, this is different.

Metro Trains and Melbourne Airport had to be involved in building this rail link, and IFM is offering serious money to help out.

Plus, they want to follow the state government’s preferred Sunshine route, which opens up the possibility of fast rail connections to Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Even if this blueprint isn’t accepted in its entirety, it sets a sensible course to put the train to Tullamarine finally on track.

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