Melbourne air-rail link

An investment of Aus$4bn (about £2.2bn) was pledged last week by Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to build a rail link connecting Melbourne Airport to the city’s central business district.

The scheme envisages several proposed routes involving above-ground, underground and combined solutions. Melbourne is Australia’s second-busiest airport, with forecasts indicating a throughput of 60m passengers by 2030.

After the scheme is completed, Melbourne will join Sydney and Brisbane airports, which already have city rail links, and Perth, where a system is under construction.

Turnbull said the new connection would benefit not only airport users and staff but also had the potential to provide significant additional benefits including rail access to areas north and west of the airport, potentially allowing them to be opened to housing.

It could also offer improved connectivity to regional Victoria, particularly to the north and west of Melbourne and new rail stations located between Melbourne and the airport.

Project spokesman Adrian Dwyer added the link would provide the people of Victoria with “a degree of certainty” that the trip between the airport and the city centre would be 30min, with a train every 10min.

www.melbourneairport.com.au

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