Melbourne Airport Rail Link

Funding Program:	Investment Road and Rail Program
Status:	In planning
Transport Mode:	Rail
Expected Start/Finish:	Late 2022 - Late 2029
Australian Government Contribution:	$5,000,000,000
Local Council/Shire:	Brimbank City Council,Hume City Council,City of Maribyrnong,Melbourne City Council (City of Melbourne),Moonee Valley City Council,Moreland City Council
State:	VIC

Project Description

The Melbourne Airport Rail Link will provide a rail service for passengers travelling between Melbourne Airport and the Melbourne CBD, via Sunshine station. The Melbourne Airport Rail Link will utilise the Melbourne Metro Tunnel providing direct access to a range of train stations in the CBD.

Benefits

The Melbourne Airport Rail Link will provide 15km of new track from Melbourne Airport to Sunshine Station, and will use the under-construction Metro Tunnel to access Melbourne’s CBD.

Passengers will travel between the Airport and the centre of Melbourne’s CBD in under 30 minutes without having to change trains.

It will improve connectivity to Melbourne’s north-west and will also support access to more affordable housing and land for commercial development, improving the availability of jobs locally. The project will improve connectivity across the city, including south east Melbourne, and between the city and regional Victoria.

The Melbourne Airport Rail Link will transport thousands of passengers each day, reducing congestion by encouraging mode-shift to rail and travel times for motorists, particularly those using the Tullamarine Freeway.

The project will support employment at Melbourne Airport, western Melbourne and the CBD.

During construction the project will support up to 8,000 jobs.

Funding

The Australian Government has committed up to $5 billion towards construction of a rail link to Melbourne Airport. Over $70 million from this commitment will be used for the completion of the business case. This funding is in addition to the $30 million committed by the Australian Government to develop the business case.

Timetable

The Detailed Business Case is expected to be completed mid-2021, with construction expected to commence in late 2022. The Melbourne Airport Rail Link has a target opening date of 2029.

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Project details last updated: 24/05/2021