The Albury line serves Albury, Wodonga, Chiltern, Springhurst, Wangaratta, Benalla, Violet Town, Euroa and Avenel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state government has confirmed that reinstating the platform is not part of the $4 billion Sunshine \u201csuperhub\u201d redevelopment<\/a>, which will prepare the congested junction for the airport rail link and the extension of Metro train services to Melton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passengers on the Albury line and NSW XTP trains will be unable to transfer at Sunshine even after its \u201csuperhub\u201d upgrades, unlike those on the Geelong and Ballarat V\/Lines (pictured). Credit: Jason South<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means passengers cannot transfer at Sunshine onto Metro trains bound for the new $15.5 billion Metro Tunnel \u2013 which the Allan government said on Tuesday would open in early December \u2013 or eventually use the Melbourne Airport rail link, due to open in the early 2030s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rail Futures Institute president John Hearsch said Albury line passengers travelling to the Metro Tunnel station at the university and medical precinct in Parkville would have longer and less-convenient journeys with two transfers. The first would be at Southern Cross or Broadmeadows onto a City Loop train to Flinders Street or Melbourne Central, from which they would have to walk to the Town Hall or State Library stations to board a Metro Tunnel train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hearsch said transferring from the Albury line onto Geelong or Ballarat trains \u2013 which will continue to stop at Sunshine \u2013 would also mean travelling up to an extra hour to Southern Cross and back out through Sunshine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t make sense when they have got this $4 billion superhub that something as simple as that is not included in the project,\u201d Hearsch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe space for [the platform] is still there. It would be petty cash in the scheme of what they\u2019re going to spend. We\u2019ve never had a rational reason as to why they won\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunshine has been earmarked as a future employment and services centre. The Age <\/em>is strengthening its focus on Melbourne\u2019s booming west with a series <\/strong>examining the positives and challenges the western suburbs of Melbourne face. Later this month, our reporters will moderate a West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance\u2019s (WoMEDA) summit to discuss a vision for the western suburbs\u2019 success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Dunstan, of the Border Rail Action Group, based in Albury\/Wodonga, said the inability to alight at Sunshine would become even more frustrating when the Metro Tunnel and airport link opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a hub for us, let alone a \u2018superhub\u2019, because people on the north-east line will never get to see Sunshine,\u201d Dunstan said. \u201cThey physically can\u2019t get off there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Allan government argues that even with airport rail, it would be quicker for Albury line passengers to get off at Broadmeadows and take the route 901 bus to Melbourne Airport, which takes 20 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Dunstan said Broadmeadows was a terrible connection, with an exposed station platform, a series of Disability Discrimination Act non-compliant ramps, and suburban buses unsuitable for passengers with luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen when you get to Tullamarine you\u2019re plopped the furthest you can be from the terminals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A spokesperson for Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said the decision not to include a platform for Albury and XPT trains in the Sunshine redevelopment followed \u201cextensive feasibility studies\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe project is prioritising critical infrastructure that will boost services and cater to the largest number of passengers \u2013 while delivering the best value for investment,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Suburban Rail Loop North, which is expected to open in about 30 years, would include a train connection from Broadmeadows to Melbourne Airport<\/a>, the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n State opposition transport spokesman Matthew Guy said it \u201cbeggars belief that the government could spend $19 billion on new rail infrastructure and not get rail connectivity right\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The omission of an Albury platform is the second major issue that raises questions about the planning of the Sunshine redevelopment, which is jointly funded by the state and federal governments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-22.jpeg\")