A new station will be built as part of Melbourne’s new airport rail line, earmarked to open in 2029, connecting the city and the airport for the first time.
The Victorian government released its business case for an above-ground station for the Melbourne Airport rail link as well as a new station at Keilor East for Melbourne’s growing west, stating the project would generate returns of up to $2.10 for every dollar spent.
The airport station will provide an alternative transport option between the city and Tullamarine with a projected journey time of 30 minutes, as the “fastest and most direct connection” to the airport from all parts of Melbourne and Victoria, the government said.
The business case stated the elevated station at the airport would be the “best solution” for passengers, better integrating with the airport precinct with fewer impacts on planned future development.
Meanwhile, the Keilor East station will link more than 150,000 Mooney Valley residents to Victoria’s rail network for the first time, providing a much-needed transport option for the growing west, said Victorian transport minister Jacinta Allan.
Melbourne Airport Rail will provide commuters with the fastest and most direct connections to the airport from all parts of Melbourne and Victoria.
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Courtesy of Victoria’s Big Build
The line will run through Sunshine Station and the Metro Tunnel, “maximising connections to Melbourne’s booming west and south-east, and Victoria’s major regional centres of Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Gippsland,” the Victorian government said.
As a result, more than 30 stations across Melbourne, as far away as Cranbourne and Pakenham, will have direct connection to the airport via the Metro Tunnel, while passengers from most other stations in the state will only need to change trains once.
The airport rail project will also include an upgrades to Sunshine station, a new rail bridge over the Western Ring Road and Steele Creek, a bridge over Maribyrnong River, and a flyover between Sunshine and the Albion rail junction.
Melbourne Airport Rail is estimated to cost between $8 billion and $13 billion, and the Victorian and federal governments have each committed $5 billion to deliver the new airport link.
Rail Projects Victoria is responsible for planning and development of project reference design, site investigation, planning approvals, stakeholder management, through to the construction delivery and project commissioning phases.
Details planning and development work is currently underway, which will yield more detailed cost estimates and scope for the project. Construction will begin in 2022 with a targeted opening date of 2029.
For more information visit the project website on Victoria’s Big Build.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
