Sunshine Railway Station is about to be rebuilt for at least the 3rd time in the name of course for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link.
This project will become yet another CFMEU boondoggle costing the taxpayer 30% more than the $2b dollars a single railway station is going to cost. In reality it will cost a lot more many projects run over or are not properly delivered at Rail Projects Victoria.
Once upon a time Sunshine Railway Station enjoyed a short but available Standard Gauge Platform to allow interstate trains to stop as requested. The current station design removed this platform. Fast forward and we have several parts of the network running on Standard Gauge, namely the interstate services and all passenger services north of Seymour on the north east line.
A seventh platform should be included into the new design at Sunshine station so that Sydney to Melbourne (and Melbourne to Albury V/Lines) can stop at the ‘superhub’. This would also provide access to through SG servcies from north/west or west/north to stop if required. (Beyond Rail)
Many transport projects designed in Victoria by the rebranded Transport Victoria have not been well received and especially have not delivered the benefits the business case for investment outlined. One such example is the now reduced speed of trains in the new Metro Tunnel and the number of services planned per hour will not be realised.
If this standard gauge platform is not built it will be a poor experience for the north east line passengers who would need to take the train from the north east Benalla, Wangaratta etc, into the city being Southern Cross Railway Station. From there a passenger would need to change to a metro tunnel station to connect with an airport train. This is simply ridiculous.
It would be easier to just change to a bus at Southern Cross and head to the airport that way.
To avoid yet another series of mistakes with regard to Sunshine Railway Station an independent panel of passengers, engineers and rail operators should be established to review:
- The proposed track layout
- The number of platforms including the inclusion of the standard gauge platform
- The proposed cost of the station and track work itself
The current approach to planning in Victoria and especially this project does not ever appear to have the best outcomes for passenger and passenger journeys as a key design metric.
Can I suggest that Sunshine should be left to remain a shithole and a direct link to the airport be invested in.
The project smells of corruption and cfmeu involvement. It has been said the company awarded this work is a friend of the ALP.
Too expensive and not required. Money better spent on other projects not convinced all this investment is needed for airport rail.