Train line works continue at Kananook Station on the Frankston line in Melbourne, Australia, on April 17, 2019. Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Ben Carroll have announced work will start within weeks on stage two of the Melbourne Airport Rail.
The project includes an integrated heavy rail link connecting Melbourne Airport to the Metro Tunnel and regional rail network, and is backed by $12 billion (US$8.3 billion) in combined federal and state funding.
Stage two includes a 7.4-kilometre rail line from Albion and a new train station at Keilor East in Melbourne’s northwest.
Major construction will begin in 2028, with the station expected to open to passengers in 2031.
“This is budgeted for. This is not a promise to take to the election.” Carroll told a press conference in Footscray.
“Many residents in the 1970s, when they bought their properties, were promised a train station,” he said. “We are now delivering it.”
Albanese argued the project made economic sense, given its benefit-cost ratio of more than two to one.
So building productivity is an enormous benefit for Victoria, making an enormous difference for people travelling to and from Melbourne Airport, but will make a difference for local residents as well,” he said.
“And it’s a great project, creating jobs, boosting our economy, and boosting productivity.”
No Specific Timeline for Stage 3
When asked about the timeline for stage three of the project, federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said Melbourne Airport was undertaking various construction activities and that a time frame would become clear as those activities progressed.
“The answer is, we’re still working on the timing for stage three,” King said.
“Obviously, the delivery of that, that will also give us a clearer indication of cost and we'll have more to say about that in the future.
“So this is a really important stage, as I said back in March, there was no way Melbourne Airport Rail could happen at all unless we actually untangled the rail lines and had that initial stage. We’re now announcing stage two, and stage three is progressing well.”
Opposition Raises Big Build concerns
Meanwhile, state Opposition Leader Jess Wilson raised concerns about corruption in the Victoria’s Big Build program, of which Melbourne Airport Rail is part.
Wilson argued that the mishandling of the program had contributed to inflation in the state.
“The Big Build has had $40 billion of cost blowouts,” she told reporters.
“There’s been $15 billion siphoned off Big Build sites into the pockets of criminals and organised crime and CFMEU [Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union] bosses in this state. That is absolutely driving inflation.”
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