Tim Fischer urges extending tram routes to Tullamarine to ease city congestion ahead of train link

Road congestion to Melbourne Airport has long been a thorn in the flesh of the city’s travellers, with a simple solution suggested by a former high-ranking politician. But would you use it?

Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer says extending a Melbourne tram route to Tullamarine would ease city congestion. Picture: David Geraghty

Tim Fischer says extending a Melbourne tram route to ­Tullamarine would ease city congestion — and he desperately hopes to be alive to see it happen.

The former deputy PM has included the extension of tram route 59 by 7.6km to Melbourne Airport, among a raft of suggestions for Melbourne.

Mr Fischer, who is fighting acute leukaemia, says Melbourne must mirror Amsterdam to prevent gridlock.

He nominated the tram extension as a “quick fix” ahead of building the train link to Tullamarine.

Other tips include:

DIRECT trains from Geelong via Sunshine to the airport — modelling the express route on successful cross-city connections in England between Bristol, Reading and Heathrow.

ENSURING the Geelong-Melbourne high-speed rail link will use 25 kV system and standard gauge as adopted across rail networks in Europe.

KEEPING Melbourne airport and its future extra runways curfew-free.

CREATING a Webb dock with direct connections to Victoria’s rail network.

INCORPORATING bike-friendly planning from the CBD to the outer suburbs.

Traffic gridlock on the way to Melbourne Airport. Picture: Tim Carrafa

“Some might say we can’t afford it,” Mr Fischer said. “But we cannot afford not to.”

He stressed the tram option should be a priority, and could be a reality in two years.

“It’s do-able,” he said.

“It could benefit people who live in the northwest quartile of Melbourne, but primarily staff headed to Tullamarine.

“For once the greater Essendon area would get a lift and it would provide immediate relief to the Tullamarine Freeway.”

Tram route 59 would be extended 7.6km to an elevated station at Terminal 4 under the plan Mr Fischer has presented to Committee of Melbourne chief executive Martine Letts.

Tram stops would be ­limited and speeds could be increased to bring the commute time to less than half an hour.

Public Transport Users’ Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the tram route was needed.

“It makes a lot of sense to extend the tram to the airport,” Mr Bowen said.

“Even once the train line has opened, the tram would still be very useful for residents across the northwest, including the thousands of airport workers.”

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Melbourne is expected to overtake Sydney as the nation’s biggest city in the next 20 years as the population rises to seven million.

“We need to fill in the gaps,’ Mr Fischer said.

“It’s not too late for Melbourne to mirror Amsterdam, which has tremendous rail connections to the massive airport at Schiphol.

“It also has a mix of public transport including trams and a massive bevy of bicycle traffic, rather than London, which is a bit tied up with its legacy.

“Amsterdam is a better blueprint.”

Airport bosses predict they will process nearly as many passengers by 2038 as Heathrow does today.

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