A DECISION by the state government to support a new rail link between the city and Melbourne Airport via Sunshine has met a mixed response.
Sceptics say the chosen route is a re-run of a decision that should have been made 20 years ago and cast doubts on whether there was a real commitment to getting the rail link built.
Others embraced the announcement by Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder, who released the findings from the $6.5 million Melbourne Airport Rail Link Study last week.
The study confirmed a route known as the Albion East route, centred around an upgraded Sunshine station, after assessing 80 alternatives.
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Sunshine’s Geraldine Brooks said residents would welcome the project but called on the government to provide “proper, genuine and high-quality community consultation and planning”.
“Residents don’t want to see another situation where the community is kept in the dark during the planning stages — as occurred with the Deer Park corridor of the Regional Railway Link,” she said.
“We want a transparent planning process that utilises existing infrastructure without disturbing the lives of residents. We want it done as a public project, not a private partnership behind closed doors.”
LeadWest business and projects manager Craig Rowley said Sunshine was only 11 minutes from the Melbourne CBD and ideally positioned to act as a feeder station for travellers wanting to access the airport from Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.
Mr Rowley envisaged a future rail link between Melbourne and Avalon airports. He said the government would want to leverage on the investments it had already committed to in upgrading Sunshine station and building the Regional Rail Link.
Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton called for the government to ensure the airport link was a cost-effective service that would stop at suburban stations on the path to the airport. “We don’t want to see it be a point-to-point service that won’t stop at train stations in the western suburbs. We think if you are going to have the route in the west it needs to at least stop at Sunshine station to integrate commuters from the west.”
Mr Mulder said the route was an essential first step to linking the CBD to Melbourne Airport.
“The new Albion East design follows the 2001 route from the airport boundary via new tracks through reserved land and a freight corridor,” he said. “But it will use the existing rail tracks from Sunbury within the Sunshine corridor and connect with the government’s planned Melbourne metro rail tunnel.”
Melbourne Airport spokesman Anna Gillett said the authority agreed Albion East was the best route.
“We strongly encourage Victorian and federal governments to commit to funding for these rail projects to support the future growth of Victoria’s aviation connections with the world,” she said.
She said the authority noted the role of the planned Melbourne metro rail tunnel project to support the airport rail link. There was also a need to ease road congestion to support the investment being made by the airport.
Melbourne Airport’s booming passenger numbers are expected to hit 40 million a year by the end of the decade and 60 million by 2033.
