Route chosen for Melbourne Airport train

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This was published 11 years ago

Route chosen for Melbourne Airport train

Melbourne's airport rail link is a step closer to creation with the Victorian government confirming a route for development.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder said a Melbourne Airport Rail Link study found the chosen Albion East route outperformed 80 alternatives.

Mr Mulder said the recommended route for development would utilise infrastructure already being planned.

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This includes the government's planned Melbourne metro rail tunnel that will connect with the proposed airport route.

The study looked at a 2001 Albion East plan that used existing rail to connect to Melbourne CBD's Southern Cross Station which it found did not allow for growth.

A redesigned route uses the 2001 reserved land and the Sunshine rail corridor in Melbourne's west, but connects it with the planned Melbourne metro rail tunnel.

"This new design will unlock airport access for people in Melbourne's southeast and CBD, with the connection via Melbourne Metro enabling people to use the planned Dandenong-Sunshine rail corridor to travel straight to Melbourne Airport," Mr Mulder said.

Tourism and Transport Forum acting chief executive Trent Zimmerman said the rail link was a key piece of infrastructure for Victoria.

"Integrating the rail link into the existing network will take longer, but will allow more Melburnians to take the train to the airport and more visitors to get to their final destination in the city without changing," Mr Zimmerman said.

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He urged the government to provide priority lanes for buses to the airport often caught in peak hour traffic.

The rail link aimed to provide a 30-minute link, arriving every 10-minutes that operated over 24 hours, the study said.

AAP

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