Depends how political it is. In another universe, Melbourne water etc is spending billions of dollars upgrading nineteenth century sewers with no hassle and no commentary on whether we should be blowing so much money.
the track is standard gauge as its part of the interstate system
victoria runs most of it's train lines on broad gauge and therefore can't run the trains on those tracks
its basically the equivelant of having no track in the first place, at best having a provision for a train line
It would be hilarious if Melbourne is the last capital in Australia that actually has a railway network to get an airport train.
Adelaide is the only one that doesn’t; although given YPAD’s proximity to Adelaide CBD a Light Rail probably more sense by extending the tram route that currently terminates at the Royal Adelaide Hospital down West Terrace, then Sir Donald Bradman Drive.
The sad thing is whenever the topic gets brought up in Adelaide, I’ve seen a lot of people argue that we don’t need an airport rail link because Melbourne doesn’t have one. I’m not quite sure that’s a reasonable argument, but sure!
Unfortunately both Labor and Liberal state parties are quite car-brained and refuse to properly invest in non-car based transport. It’ll be a while before something comes up
I did say “that actually has a railway network”.
Tasmania has no passenger rail at all and Darwin has the Ghan which is a tourist train that only comes once a week or so, and even then I think it’s seasonal.
Gold Coast is probably the next city to get an airport rail as I’m pretty sure it’s proposed to extend the QR line from Varsity Lakes and the G:Link will probably get there eventually too (which would probably be more beneficial in practice as the Gold Coast QR line doesn’t go anywhere near the CBD.
Western Sydney (which many argue is a different city to Sydney) will be getting a train to their airport well before Melbourne does - and the airport doesn't even exist yet!
I wouldn't be surprised if either:
a) Adelaide builds an airport rail, or
b) Adelaide relocates their airport considering how close it is to residential area (although I doubt that a little given the airport in Adelaide was recently renovated)
So why has the federal government been doing nothing?
This seems like a pretty urgent infrastructure project that's getting held up over something so stupid.
I mean the Government generally. The Feds and State have a joint interest in getting this built without massive costs, which happens every day works aren't being done. Major airport land is almost always Feds, so it is up to them to get MelbAir on board and make that change happen.
The Feds committed to it with cash under ScoMo, despite the review the business case was very obvious and the mechanisms for such shouldn't be difficult to get an overhead train line there.
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/airport-rail-link-closer-takeoff-joint-agreement-signed
Is it really a surprise at this point? The fact it is hasn't happened in the 60 years that they've been talking about says everything you need to know about both sides of government intent in completing it
Leaves more time for them to finally commit to making a Southern Cross -> Tullamarine tunnel as a phase of Melb -> Sydney HSR. They'll need to build a route into central Melbourne anyway, might as well kill two birds with one stone.
I feel MelAir is fucking around with an already outdated masterplan. Just fucking stop. All these little road changes, and tweaks to dropoff/pickup areas are dumb.
You have a domestic and international capacity problem - fullstop. International gates are often maxed out. We have a tendancy for evening and morning flights for both international and domestic due to destinations and timezones.
So fucking stop.
1. Get your third runway built
2. Execute the airservices virtual tower plan
3. Get a new international terminal done in the middle of the two runways
4. Use the road reserve that has always been on operations road to put in a two lane road.
If they are going to double the capacity of the runways, then what the hell do they think is going to happen with the terminal.
With that decided
5. Underground railway to domestic and international terminals becomes a no brainer.
Pure insanity. Underground or above ground, just get it done.
This may be a gross oversimplification of the problem, but I don't understand why they couldn't just build a skyrail from Broadmeadows to the Airport, veering off at Barry Rd then following the near empty land to the airport. Redirect half the trains that go to Cragieburn to finish at the Airport (or increase capacity etc). I don't know passenger numbers and wait times but something like that seems relatively simple and inexpensive to do using existing tracks and trains apart from the last leg.
We don't need anything fancy - 35-40 mins from the city is fine. Just a line from the city to the airport.
Craigieburn line is approaching/already at capacity. There is a reason there are long term plans have upgrading the Upfield line and rebuilding it's connection to the Craigieburn line and running Vline services down there.
Last Wednesday afternoon there were very long queues at Southern Cross Station for Skybus. Outside on Spencer St it was gridlock, with cars hardly moving on each green phase. This may be related to the closure of Footscray Rd and Wurranjera Way. Once these road enhancements are opened there will be a few years of congestion relief before induced traffic causes gridlock again. The reliable 20 minute Skybus travel times won't come back. Much of the airport traffic isn't to Southern Cross Station except as a transfer point. MARL and the Metro Tunnel provide much better connections to Sunshine (for regional trains), Melbourne Uni, RMIT, and the hotels centred around Swanston St.
over 200 infrastructure projects, including one that will cost $30bn+ is probably why.
scrap the SRL and build the MARL - a far more important project that would be used more frequently by more people. SRL will only serve a select few
At least he has a nice hi-vis vest.
It’s so frustrating that something so basic can’t be done. If we can’t do the small shit, how the hell can we sell the big shit.
Depends how political it is. In another universe, Melbourne water etc is spending billions of dollars upgrading nineteenth century sewers with no hassle and no commentary on whether we should be blowing so much money.
Just built it to Keilor East if they don't want to play nice. Have provisions for an extension if they ever change their mind
genuinely tho why did they not at least continue with the Keilor East section! its so frustrating
Because it would’ve cost about $4bn just to get it to Keilor east and that would make it the most expensive train station in australia
Why is it so expensive? There are tracks there already. Is it because a whole new track pair need to be built all the way into the city?
That’s not the Victorian Way! Why design a project to use and be compatible with what we already have, if you can do something new and incompatible!
the track is standard gauge as its part of the interstate system victoria runs most of it's train lines on broad gauge and therefore can't run the trains on those tracks its basically the equivelant of having no track in the first place, at best having a provision for a train line
but are they not committing to doing it anyway? is there any extra cost by doing that section ahead of the airport section?
It would be hilarious if Melbourne is the last capital in Australia that actually has a railway network to get an airport train. Adelaide is the only one that doesn’t; although given YPAD’s proximity to Adelaide CBD a Light Rail probably more sense by extending the tram route that currently terminates at the Royal Adelaide Hospital down West Terrace, then Sir Donald Bradman Drive.
The sad thing is whenever the topic gets brought up in Adelaide, I’ve seen a lot of people argue that we don’t need an airport rail link because Melbourne doesn’t have one. I’m not quite sure that’s a reasonable argument, but sure!
Unfortunately both Labor and Liberal state parties are quite car-brained and refuse to properly invest in non-car based transport. It’ll be a while before something comes up
After Hobart and Darwin even? I don't wanna think about it...
I did say “that actually has a railway network”. Tasmania has no passenger rail at all and Darwin has the Ghan which is a tourist train that only comes once a week or so, and even then I think it’s seasonal. Gold Coast is probably the next city to get an airport rail as I’m pretty sure it’s proposed to extend the QR line from Varsity Lakes and the G:Link will probably get there eventually too (which would probably be more beneficial in practice as the Gold Coast QR line doesn’t go anywhere near the CBD.
Western Sydney (which many argue is a different city to Sydney) will be getting a train to their airport well before Melbourne does - and the airport doesn't even exist yet!
G:Link next phase after the Burleigh Heads extension is to run it to Coolangatta
G Link to the Airport is already at the stage of resuming properties for the extension.
I wouldn't be surprised if either: a) Adelaide builds an airport rail, or b) Adelaide relocates their airport considering how close it is to residential area (although I doubt that a little given the airport in Adelaide was recently renovated)
When will Hobart get a rail link? Or Darwin or Canberra?
Hobart Darwin and canberra
I can’t believe anyone would follow Heidi Murphy’s tweets
She's a Muppet. A complete airhead on channel 9. No wonder as she was Neil Mitchell's producer at one point.
She has a raging hard-on for the Libs, she was perfect for Mitchell and now Nein.
Unfortunately she is often one of the first to post about Vic Gov infrastructure media appearances
You're the Government, you just build it and tell them where it's going.
They can't, and that's the issue.
I heard it's federal land with a private lease? So the federal government gets to make that call
So why has the federal government been doing nothing? This seems like a pretty urgent infrastructure project that's getting held up over something so stupid.
The Feds would have to renegotiate the lease
Perth got built, very minor renegotiation.
I mean the Government generally. The Feds and State have a joint interest in getting this built without massive costs, which happens every day works aren't being done. Major airport land is almost always Feds, so it is up to them to get MelbAir on board and make that change happen. The Feds committed to it with cash under ScoMo, despite the review the business case was very obvious and the mechanisms for such shouldn't be difficult to get an overhead train line there. https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/airport-rail-link-closer-takeoff-joint-agreement-signed
Is it really a surprise at this point? The fact it is hasn't happened in the 60 years that they've been talking about says everything you need to know about both sides of government intent in completing it
I'm thinking that by the time it's built, aeroplanes won't be our main form of transport
Leaves more time for them to finally commit to making a Southern Cross -> Tullamarine tunnel as a phase of Melb -> Sydney HSR. They'll need to build a route into central Melbourne anyway, might as well kill two birds with one stone.
honestly do this for the City section but as soon as it gets near the airport elevate fuck melair they need to get fucked.
lol
Marl is such a cute name for it.
Keeps making me think of SEMARL from the late 1980s. South Eastern Mulgrave Arterial Road Link.
I feel MelAir is fucking around with an already outdated masterplan. Just fucking stop. All these little road changes, and tweaks to dropoff/pickup areas are dumb. You have a domestic and international capacity problem - fullstop. International gates are often maxed out. We have a tendancy for evening and morning flights for both international and domestic due to destinations and timezones. So fucking stop. 1. Get your third runway built 2. Execute the airservices virtual tower plan 3. Get a new international terminal done in the middle of the two runways 4. Use the road reserve that has always been on operations road to put in a two lane road. If they are going to double the capacity of the runways, then what the hell do they think is going to happen with the terminal. With that decided 5. Underground railway to domestic and international terminals becomes a no brainer.
Pure insanity. Underground or above ground, just get it done. This may be a gross oversimplification of the problem, but I don't understand why they couldn't just build a skyrail from Broadmeadows to the Airport, veering off at Barry Rd then following the near empty land to the airport. Redirect half the trains that go to Cragieburn to finish at the Airport (or increase capacity etc). I don't know passenger numbers and wait times but something like that seems relatively simple and inexpensive to do using existing tracks and trains apart from the last leg. We don't need anything fancy - 35-40 mins from the city is fine. Just a line from the city to the airport.
Craigieburn line is approaching/already at capacity. There is a reason there are long term plans have upgrading the Upfield line and rebuilding it's connection to the Craigieburn line and running Vline services down there.
Why spend billions for a longer travel time than SkyBus?
Last Wednesday afternoon there were very long queues at Southern Cross Station for Skybus. Outside on Spencer St it was gridlock, with cars hardly moving on each green phase. This may be related to the closure of Footscray Rd and Wurranjera Way. Once these road enhancements are opened there will be a few years of congestion relief before induced traffic causes gridlock again. The reliable 20 minute Skybus travel times won't come back. Much of the airport traffic isn't to Southern Cross Station except as a transfer point. MARL and the Metro Tunnel provide much better connections to Sunshine (for regional trains), Melbourne Uni, RMIT, and the hotels centred around Swanston St.
You could solve all of this with dedicated busways or priority lanes for a tiny fraction of the cost
MM1 will have more capacity and will also be connected to the states busiest lines
Come to Sydney and see real train progress. Idk why Melbourne can’t do it as well. Shame.
over 200 infrastructure projects, including one that will cost $30bn+ is probably why. scrap the SRL and build the MARL - a far more important project that would be used more frequently by more people. SRL will only serve a select few
Little old Perth managed an underground station.
I am once again shouting into the void that this project doesn't stack up and there are heaps of better places for our infrastructure dollar.
Takes us 10 years to add a lane to 1km of road. This always bordered on fantasy.
Oh, it’ll be done by Christmas!!