MELBOURNE Airport CEO Chris Woodruff has called for a rail link to be built "sooner rather than later" but warned it wouldn't be a silver bullet.

Speaking at the airport's annual stakeholder event, Mr Woodruff said the aviation hub was spending tens of millions to improve access including "the mother of all elevated loop roads" but "there was only so much we can do".



"We need on a rail link to Melbourne Airport and we need it sooner rather than later. But a train is not a silver bullet.



It won't be enough on its own," Mr Woodruff said.

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So the CEO is now moving into the 21st Century but being dragged I would suggest.  A sudden but welcomed change to his outlook on the role rail can and should already be playing at Melbourne.

I can't believe it has taken so long.  Of course we need a rail line to the airport and not one operated by anyone else other than the incumbent metro operator.  The line should be integrated with the current network and have specialist rollingstock with space for baggage (line the brisbane airport service).

Regards
Brian

THANKS for this news story, Brian, I didn't see any mention of it in the mainstream media.

I made the mistake about eight years ago of picking up a friend from the airport in my car and it cost me over $20 for short-term parking; only last year I nearly missed a flight because the Skybus was crawling all the way from Niddrie to the terminal.  It's about time the airport started pressing for extra capacity away from the bottleneck of the toll-way; compare our situation to Heathrow (the Tube and Heathrow Express), Gatwick (2 different train companies, Southern and Gatwick Express).  Its an embarrassment when you have to explain to international visitors that there's still no train service; even Perth is in the advanced stages of planning for one and they have a much smaller population base than we do.

THANKS for this news story, Brian, I didn't see any mention of it in the mainstream media.

I made the mistake about eight years ago of picking up a friend from the airport in my car and it cost me over $20 for short-term parking; only last year I nearly missed a flight because the Skybus was crawling all the way from Niddrie to the terminal.  It's about time the airport started pressing for extra capacity away from the bottleneck of the toll-way; compare our situation to Heathrow (the Tube and Heathrow Express), Gatwick (2 different train companies, Southern and Gatwick Express).  Its an embarrassment when you have to explain to international visitors that there's still no train service; even Perth is in the advanced stages of planning for one and they have a much smaller population base than we do.

Last week I had to catch an early morning flight out of Tulla and I also found freeway traffic almost stationary (well about walking pace from just after Niddrie). I do not how we will fare when Tulla gets its next runway in about 8 years time. There is a limit to how wide you can make the freeway.

By comparison Perth is planning rail, yet their traffic and freeways are better equipped for current loads than Melbourne. I had to fly from Perth in a FIFO (for Fly In / Fly Out mining workers) plane. Perth has a pair of terminals on each side of the airport, but it also has about five minor terminals which service mining communities with 50-seater aircraft.  They have an internal connection challenge. They may do what Sydney did and have two stations, but this will not help the FIFO airlines and their customers.

Last week I had to catch an early morning flight out of Tulla and I also found freeway traffic almost stationary (well about walking pace from just after Niddrie). I do not how we will fare when Tulla gets its next runway in about 8 years time. There is a limit to how wide you can make the freeway.

By comparison Perth is planning rail, yet their traffic and freeways are better equipped for current loads than Melbourne. I had to fly from Perth in a FIFO (for Fly In / Fly Out mining workers) plane. Perth has a pair of terminals on each side of the airport, but it also has about five minor terminals which service mining communities with 50-seater aircraft.  They have an internal connection challenge. They may do what Sydney did and have two stations, but this will not help the FIFO airlines and their customers.

I've seen how they operate that in Perth, international on one side and domestic on the other.  Two stations would probably work okay provided you could transfer on the train between the terminals at minimal or no cost.  That seems unlikely though given nearly everything you do at an airport now days is a gouge.

There's also plenty of room for expansion at Perth so they could probably do what they wanted in the future, maybe even unify the terminals into one building as they did with Adelaide.  I think the Future Fund actually owns Perth Airport now and rumour is they paid way too much for it so it's unlikely to have any big $$$ spent on it any time soon considering that mistake.

Part of the danger of having all this money from super funds sloshing around in the economy is the best investments are all drying up - it's the reason why David Murray (former Commbank chairman) was absolutely dead against the Future Fund right up until they offered him the chair.

Interesting rumours about today.  I am told there could be a decision about the rail line to Melbourne Airport sometime this month.  A decision is being called for involving the government and the airport authority who want the link.  It is just not possible to move the projected volume of people to and from the airport over the coming years without the link.

Regards
Brian

As the ABC TV said last night, an airport rail link is promised by 2050, that's about 100 years since it was first proposed.

As the ABC TV said last night, an airport rail link is promised by 2050, that's about 100 years since it was first proposed.

Based on what I heard yesterday, I do not believe it.  At the latest it will be 2025.  Let's wait for the announcement.

Based on what I heard yesterday, I do not believe it.  At the latest it will be 2025.  Let's wait for the announcement.

I agree that it will be needed before 2025, but let's look at the timings and sequencing.  The state government has said that it will only be built after the Metro Tunnel is finished. The Metro Tunnel will be a huge and complex project for a Victorian government.  So, when will the tunnel work commence and how long will it take ?

Given how much state government infrastructure money is to be tied up in the East-West Road Tunnel, there will be very little money available for any PT infrastructure for about the next six years.  I think 2030 would be the earliest date for the Airport Link, but only if it had priority over everything on the Dandenong Line and all the developing outer suburbs.

Any "announcement" made for an event after the next one or two state elections has to be considered aspirational (as were previous decades' statements about future Rowville and Doncaster links).

There are people working on the rail line to the airport and also the metro tunnel right now.  Yep, today.  The airport now understands it is not possible to upgrade the airport for further air traffic without the rail link.

Regards
Brian

Just to put it in perspective though, there were people in AECOM working on the Perth airport rail link back in 2008, with very detailed engineering and design drawings completed for the PTA already. This link is still being designed (with very little change to the original alignment seen back then) and will not start construction prior to 2016 at the earliest, and more than likely 2019 as it stands now.

Designs can have a very long shelf life in these departments.