‘Capital of Melbourne’s west’ wants the new station it was promised

The Andrews government has drastically wound back a promise to build a transport “super hub” in Sunshine, in a move community groups and the local council say is a missed opportunity to help transform the suburb into the economic powerhouse of Melbourne’s west.

In 2018 Premier Daniel Andrews pledged a “really big redevelopment” at Sunshine Station as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project, which could include retail and residential development.

Greater Sunshine Community Alliance co-founder John Hedditch and Sunshine Business Association president Vu Du outside the Sunshine Railway Station overpass. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Transport infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan said at the time the station, 12 kilometres west of Melbourne’s city centre, would become “another Southern Cross station” with connections to V/Line services, the Metro Tunnel from 2025 and the airport from 2029.

But the Melbourne Airport Rail business case, released last month, confirmed community fears that the $13 billion project will include only low-cost upgrades to their station rather than a full redevelopment.

Brimbank City Council Mayor Jasmine Nguyen said the state government had abandoned a once-in-a-generation opportunity to underpin urban renewal and an investment boom in Sunshine and nearby Albion that would change the economically disadvantaged area’s fortunes.

“The best time to fully realise and unlock the potential of the Sunshine precinct is to do it while they’re doing Melbourne Airport Rail now, rather than to try to rebuild it again later,” she said. “It’s not only what our residents deserve, but it’s actually what they were promised.”

Sunshine Station will not be redeveloped as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project. Credit: Jason South

Dealing with Melbourne’s population pressures and building the right infrastructure to meet the state’s needs is a top concern for Victorians ahead of the November 26 state election, according to voters The Age spoke as part of its Victoria’s Agenda project.

Melbourne’s west includes some of the fastest growing suburbs in Australia, and the Sunshine-Albion precinct’s population is projected to double over the next 30 years to around 140,000.

Brimbank spent two years on a plan to redevelop Sunshine and nearby Albion stations to connect them into the heart of its business district, which would encourage new housing and commercial development and transform the area into the “capital of Melbourne’s west”.

But the Airport Rail business case confirmed the project will not involve the “redevelopment of Sunshine Station” and excluded plans for a new concourse, overpass, three new platforms and bus interchange.

The documents acknowledge that rebuilding the station and “blending it into the greater Sunshine precinct” was a better outcome for the community, who would get better transport access and avoid further disruption if the full upgrade went ahead later.

But the project decided to limit Sunshine’s upgrades to avoid “significant additional cost” and so the project “can be delivered in a shorter timeframe”, the business case says.

Draft plans suggest Sunshine’s platform will extend further south – away from the business district – and have a new pedestrian overpass connecting them, along with a fifth platform so V/Line trains from Bendigo can stop at Sunshine for the first time.

John Hedditch, a former Brimbank mayor and a co-founder of the Greater Sunshine Community Alliance, said it was unlikely any future government will redevelop the station again after the airport rail project is finished in 2029.

“The 2018 promise is a dud and the likely outcomes from the plans we’ve seen so far is a lost opportunity and a real tragedy for what could be the Parramatta of [Melbourne’s] west,” he said.

Vu Du runs a mortgage brokerage close to Sunshine Station, and he said that expectations it would be fully redeveloped underpinned hopes for the area’s economic revival. He said it would be “devastating” if that was not delivered.

“We’ve already started to see drastic changes in the area with more apartments going up and different businesses coming in,” said Du, who is also president of Sunshine Business Association. “This area just has so much potential... but that could halt if the station doesn’t come to fruition.”

An Andrews government spokesman said that by 2029, Sunshine Station would have a train leaving every three minutes connecting to five new CBD stations as well as Melbourne Airport, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

“We have been delighted with the overwhelming community support for a project that will transform Sunshine and provide a massive economic boost to the region,” he said.

Hedditch said the community expected a final master plan confirming the design months ago but he believed the government was delaying its release until after the November 26 election.

“They know there’s going to be a backlash from a vocal and growing community who know what’s being proposed isn’t what was promised,” he said.

Sunshine and Albion are part of the lower house seat of Tarneit, which Labor’s Sarah Connolly won at the 2018 election with an 18 per cent margin. Following a seat redistribution, the area will be part of the new seat of Laverton, which the VEC estimates would have had an even safer 23 per cent margin in Labor’s favour last election.

Nguyen said there was a sense in the western suburbs that communities in safe Labor seats were being taken for granted ahead of an election focused on the $35 billion Suburban Rail Loop in the eastern suburbs. She called on both major parties to commit to funding the full upgrade before polling day.

“It would just make more sense if the state government investment more money in the communities that need help the most,” she said.

At the northern end of the Sunshine city centre at Albion Station, residents have already been outraged by plans to build a 50-metre-high rail bridge cutting across the face of the heritage-protected John Darling and Son flour mill, which developers plan to turn into a hotel and offices.

Connolly, the local member, announced last week that Labor would spend $80 million rebuilding Albion Station, but detailed plans have not been released.

Charlie Buxton, managing director of Cadence Property Group, said his firm was waiting for key planning decisions to be finalised so it can proceed with a planned 13-hectare redevelopment north of the station.

Buxton said to unlock the area’s full potential, it was essential that Albion was rebuilt with direct access to the north of Ballarat Road, connecting passengers to Victoria University, the future Energy Park stadium and the Albion Quarter redevelopment precinct – which was also part of the council’s original vision.

“Considering the amount of land such an investment would unlock, it does seem like an amazing opportunity and an opportunity that would be missed if it’s not done properly,” he said.

Hedditch called on the state and federal government, who are jointly funding the Airport Rail project, to commission a review of key planning decisions made for Sunshine and Albion stations to ensure they deliver the best outcome for the area’s future growth, livability and sustainability.

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