AirRail Melbourne announces $15 billion Melbourne Airport ‘Super Train’

21 September 2018 – AirRail Melbourne, a consortium comprising IFM Investors, Melbourne Airport, Metro Trains Australia and Southern Cross Station has unveiled a $15 billion plan for Melbourne’s airport rail link.

Under its ‘Super Train’ proposal, AirRail Melbourne says that it will match the $5 billion funding announced by both the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments to build a world-class link that unlocks additional rail capacity and creates 12,000 jobs each year during construction and a further 13,000 jobs in Melbourne’s west and Victoria’s regions.

Super Train proposal:

• 20-minute travel time to the city, using a redeveloped Sunshine Station super-hub to provide greater access for regional passengers;
• Construction-ready in late 2020, two years earlier than currently planned;
• 24/7 trains, departing every 10 minutes during peak periods, with passengers fast-tracked at Southern Cross Station and Melbourne Airport to cut interchange times;
• One-way tickets at less than $20 in today’s prices;
• Reduction of 10 minutes from travel times for regional services into the city via new dedicated tracks;
• Supporting 12,000 jobs each year during construction and stimulating 13,000 jobs in Melbourne’s west and Victoria’s regions; and
• 27 kilometres of new track and twin rail tunnels to deliver a premium airport rail service and open up additional capacity for rail services to Melbourne’s booming west.

*Sourced from AirRail Melbourne

With plans set to be delivered to the Victorian state government, AirRail Melbourne says its proposal would connect the entire Victorian rail network with the airport, cut road congestion in Melbourne’s west and north and complement the Metro Tunnel and proposed Suburban Rail Loop projects.

In a statement announcing the plan, IFM Investors chief executive Brett Himbury said, “Our ‘Super Train’ investment proposal represents a significant opportunity for seven million Australians to invest in a nation-building project through their superannuation funds. A partnership between the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments demonstrates the universal support for this essential project which has transformed talk of a Melbourne Airport Rail Link into a viable project that drives productivity for the nation.”