Melbourne Airport railway station is a proposed station on the planned Melbourne Airport railway line that will serve Melbourne Airport. Initially scheduled to open in 2029, the project is facing extensive delays, with completion now expected from 2033.[1][2][3]
Melbourne Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned PTV commuter rail station | |||||||||||
 Proposed station site near Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Melbourne Airport, Arrival Drive, Tullamarine Australia | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°40′20″S 144°50′59″E / 37.6722°S 144.8496°E (proposed) | ||||||||||
| Owned by | VicTrack (projected) | ||||||||||
| Operated by | Metro Trains Melbourne (projected) | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Melbourne Airport | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | TBD | ||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes—step free access | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Planned, premium station | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opening | 2033 (planned) | ||||||||||
| Electrified | Yes | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Platforms and services
editThe station is planned to be part of the Melbourne Airport rail link which connects with the Metro Tunnel. Trains will terminate at the airport before departing towards Sunshine, stations in the Melbourne CBD before becoming the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines.[4]
Platform 1:
- Airport line express services to Cranbourne and Pakenham
Platform 2:
- Airport line express services to Cranbourne and Pakenham
Project delays
editPreviously planned to open in 2029, in early 2023, media reports suggested there may be a delay in the construction of the airport link.[5]
In May 2023, the state government also confirmed that contracting for further works on the airport rail link would be temporarily paused and no new contracts would be entered into until the completion of a major Commonwealth Government review of the country's infrastructure pipeline.[6] In November 2023, following the review the federal government reaffirmed its matching $5 billion commitment towards the project.[6]
Station design dispute
editIn September 2022, the state government announced that the airport station would be an elevated structure built near the terminals, rather than an underground station, as this would be quicker to build, cheaper and cause less disruption.[7]
The airport operator, Australia Pacific Airports Corporation (APAC), has objected to the station being elevated, calling for the station to be underground in order to facilitate its plans for terminal expansion and improve connectivity to the proposed Suburban Rail Loop.[8]
In May 2023, then Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan said slow and difficult negotiations with Melbourne Airport over the use of airport land for the station had caused more delays.[9] In April 2024, an independent mediator was appointed by the federal government to resolve the ongoing dispute between the state government and the airport.[10] In May 2024, Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas confirmed in the state budget that the project would be delayed by at least four years, with completion not expected until 2033 at the earliest.[11]
In July 2024, Melbourne Airport confirmed it was willing to work with the Victorian Government on the delivery of an above-ground station, however, the time taken to conduct the negotiations up to that point caused the project to be delayed until 2033, a four-year delay.[12] The proposed site for the station is at the southern end of the airport terminals, near the Terminal 4 carpark building.[13]
References
edit- ^ Lucas, Clay; Fowler, Michael (28 December 2020). "Melbourne Airport rail line to soar high over Maribyrnong River". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Project overview". Government of Victoria. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ Nelson, Jake (7 May 2024). "Victorian Government Confirms Four-Year Delay for Airport Rail". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Project benefits". Government of Victoria. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ Eddie, Rachel (15 April 2023). "Big-ticket transport projects face delays as budget pressures build". The Age. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ a b Ilanbey, Sumeyya (17 May 2023). "Melbourne Airport Rail workers redeployed as project officially paused". The Age. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Plans released for Keilor East train station and above-ground Melbourne Airport station". ABC News. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Hatch, Josh Gordon, Patrick (20 September 2022). "Fight or flight? Conflict with airport looms after government reveals 'sky rail' plan". The Age. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Deputy premier blames Melbourne Airport for delay in completion of airport rail". ABC News. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Godde, Callum (10 April 2024). "Mediator picked to resolve Melbourne Airport rail spat". Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Jake (7 May 2024). "Victorian Government Confirms Four-Year Delay for Airport Rail". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Brown, Melissa; Willingham, Richard (8 July 2024). "Melbourne Airport agrees to clear the hurdle to long-awaited rail link". ABC News. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "New station at Melbourne Airport". Victoria's Big Build. State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 3 November 2024.