A new station at Keilor East will be built by 2031 as part of the next stage of Melbourne’s airport rail line, the Prime Minister and Victorian government are set to announce. Early work on the 7.4-kilometre line running from Albion toward the airport via Keilor East will start within weeks, though major construction won’t begin until 2028. A timeline for the final stretch between Keilor East and the airport itself has not yet been set.
The line will connect directly to the Metro Tunnel and include a 500-metre rail bridge over the Maribyrnong River, according to the state and federal governments. It will be delivered alongside the first stage of the project, the $4.1 billion, six-platform Sunshine Superhub.
The announcement comes as Melbourne Airport prepares to end a 56-year tradition of its own: from October 6, new drop-off and pick-up zones will replace the departures ramp passengers have used since the airport opened.
The rail project’s timeline has shifted repeatedly. The Victorian government first said the line would be running by 2029, then pushed that to 2033, and has since gone quiet on a firm completion date. Delays have included a dispute over where the station should be built and disagreement between the airport and the state over an underground versus above-ground line, which was resolved in July 2024 when the airport dropped its preference for the costlier underground option to get the project moving.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was “building Victoria’s future, unlocking capacity to run more trains, more often, and ensuring we have a train line to Melbourne Airport”. Premier Ben Carroll said Melbourne Airport was “getting on and delivering” a direct rail link. A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said discussions with both levels of government remain productive, and that while timing and delivery are a matter for government, the airport’s draft 2027 Master Plan protects for the state’s elevated rail solution and anticipates construction at the airport site beginning within five years.
Community frustration over the delays has been longstanding. In 2023, then-Moonee Valley mayor Pierce Tyson said residents had waited decades for the Keilor East station and called the repeated delays “deeply distressing”.
