DRIVE A2B May 2018

Road congestion on the
Tullamarine Freeway and CityLink
is also a major issue driving the
need for the link.
Planners have included public
policies such as a target travel
time of 30 minutes one way, a 10
minute service frequency, costeffective
express options during
certain travel times, 24 hour
seven days per week operations,
catering for luggage within the
carriage space, minimal disruption
to pre-existing networks, and
lastly, minimisation of transport
transfers and optimum integration
with other systems.
RMIT University infrastructure and
urban planning expert Professor
Jago Dodson says a new rail link
for Melbourne’s airport is welcome
news, but needs to be part of a
broader transport plan.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
has pledged $5 billion for
a long-awaited rail line
connecting the airport with
the CBD. The project’s total
price tag could rise to $15
billion.
Together, the Victorian
and Federal Governments
aim to have official plans
and providers organised
within 12 months. This
will see the link be under
construction long before
the estimated completion
of the Melbourne Metro
Tunnel in 2026.
is welcome news from the
perspective of improving
Melbourne’s rail network and its
integration with a major activity
node,” Professor Dodson says.
“However, a big concern is that the
Airport link is happening outside
of any clear transport plan for
metropolitan Melbourne, because
the Victorian government has no
transport plan.”
“We have no clear formal
assessment whether the $15
billion to be spent on Airport rail
is preferable in terms of costs
and benefits to commencing
the second metro link, or
expanding suburban rail access
to underserved growth areas,
or other public transport
improvement”, said Professor
Dodson.
There are also discussions
surrounding the fact that the
link should also extended to
rural areas such as Geelong and
Ballarat.
“And the eventual route needs to
include opportunities for urban
redevelopment beyond rapid
airport access. For example, an
Upfield alignment could enable
redevelopment of the former Ford
factory site,” continued Professor
Dodson.
Dodson warns it would be foolish
to steam ahead with a new rail
link without considering the bigger
picture for Melbourne’s already
heaving public transport network.
This includes limiting road use.
“We need to expand the Melbourne
metropolitan rail network far
beyond the Airport line if we are
to meet the needs of a city of
8 million, but we also need to
limit road competition with this
network,” he says.
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DRIVE A2B magazine · May 2018 25