The Australian state of Victoria has begun work on the rail link to Melbourne Airport by redeveloping the Sunshine Railway Station hub.
“The reconstruction of Sunshine Station is the first step in creating a rail link to Melbourne Airport and will help lay the groundwork for introducing more rail services to western Melbourne,” said Victoria’s Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Gabrielle Williams.
The redevelopment of the Sunshine intermodal hub involves its expansion, with a longer main passageway and the construction of two new lines with dedicated platforms for regional trains. This work will transform Sunshine into a major transport hub, remove existing bottlenecks in the rail network, and enable more frequent train services. The station upgrade will also include improved lighting and CCTV, measures designed to enhance passenger safety and make travel faster and more comfortable.
More than just a station
The entire project is worth USD 2.85 billion, with an additional USD 95 million being invested in upgrading the area around the station, including pedestrian and bicycle areas, a modern bus terminal, and new public spaces for the community.
The project will create the space needed for the rail link to the airport and for future electrified services to Melton, both of which will run through the Metro Tunnel.
This project is the first stage of the Melbourne Airport rail connection project and includes the construction of 6 km of new railway track and two railway bridges, while the passenger and freight lines will be realigned. This work is intended to eliminate existing bottlenecks in the network and allow more trains to run at shorter intervals.
The authorities have also announced the construction of a new, fully accessible station (Tottenham Station), which will be located on the Sunbury Line, following the realignment of its route to make way for the future rail link to Melbourne Airport and the development of an electrified line to Melton. The project will also be supported by the modernisation of signaling systems, so that more trains can run on this route at shorter intervals.
As part of the same modernization program, a new Albion station will also be built, which will offer modern and accessible facilities for passengers, contributing to improved mobility in the area.
Rail connection to Melbourne Airport
“A rail connection to Melbourne Airport has been discussed for so long that I can’t even remember when the idea first came up,” said Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, noting that it took the federal and Victorian governments to get this project off the ground.
The project is the most important in the transport sector and aims to directly connect the city’s airport to the metropolitan and regional rail network, providing a direct rail link to Melbourne Airport for the first time.
The project involves the construction of a dedicated rail line between the airport and the city center, with the planned route using part of the existing rail corridor between Sunshine and the Albion–Jacana area, after which the line will divert to the airport, where a new station will be built for passengers using air transport.
The total length of the line will be 27 km, of which 12 km will be new double track (between Sunshine and the airport), facilitating a 30-minute journey to the city center and airport, with trains running every 10 minutes.
The total estimated cost of the project is generally estimated at between USD 8 billion and USD 13 billion, with funding shared between the Australian federal government and the Victorian state government.
