{"id":36563,"date":"2024-05-07T15:29:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T05:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=36563"},"modified":"2024-05-07T15:30:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T05:30:38","slug":"melbournes-long-awaited-airport-rail-hits-more-turbulence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=36563","title":{"rendered":"Melbourne\u2019s long-awaited Airport Rail hits more turbulence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The long-awaited $10 bn Melbourne Airport Rail Link<\/a> has hit more turbulence with Treasurer Tim Pallas expecting a delay of \u201cat least four years\u201d amid a bitter stoush with airport operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Allan Government has instead staked its credibility on cutting the ribbon on the $14bn Metro Tunnel and the $10.2bn West Gate Tunnel project next year, as it also ramps up works on the contentious $34.5bn Suburban Rail Loop East between Cheltenham and Box Hill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost blowouts are still being felt across the budget, worth about 4 per cent across the multi-billion dollar public infrastructure sector \u2013 most of which is due to the eye-watering $10bn overrun at the North East Link being built between the Eastern Freeway and the M80 in Greensborough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Treasurer said rising prices of materials, labour and transportation have spiked 22 per cent since 2021, battering project budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Treasurer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Treasurer Tim Pallas is expecting a delay of at least four years for Melbourne\u2019s Airport Rail Link. Picture: Melbourne Airport<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Pallas said the redirection of funding away from the long-awaited airport rail link was a \u201csensible decision\u201d given the standoff between the State and the Airport over the location of a station at Tullamarine, which has resulted in a federal mediator being appointed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is despite more than $1bn already spent on early works, including shifting utilities and preparing for major construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Treasurer said the airport was locked into building a below ground station but emphatically ruled out the state agreeing to that option, preferring a cheaper and quicker elevated station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWere the airport operator to see reason and maybe become a good corporate citizen at some point instead of a really good car park operator, then perhaps we might be able to bring those things forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement of a four-year delay \u2013 which matches the forward estimates of the Budget \u2013 comes despite the project only being halted last year by former premier Daniel Andrews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lengthy delay comes amid a broader shift in Victoria that will see the government tap the brakes on capital spending to a more sustainable long-term infrastructure pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Allan government is prioritising other infrastructure projects. Picture: Andrew Henshaw<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean going from feast to famine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn this Budget we will progressively return the capital program to pre-Covid levels, to better align with the ability of our economy to deliver,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA sustainable, ongoing pipeline will provide certainty to the construction industry, and help them to build critical social and economic infrastructure for all Victorians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would see average spending on roads, rail, schools and hospitals to reduce from its peak of $24bn this financial year, to $15.6bn a year over the following four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Budget shows a total of $208bn in new and existing projects underway, but Mr Pallas said a shortage of workers and material price hikes had forced a change to the previous approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has also seen about a quarter of projects delayed since last year\u2019s Budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spending across the transport sector has tightened significantly, with a focus on delivering health and education capital projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The long-awaited $10 bn Melbourne Airport Rail Link has hit more turbulence with Treasurer Tim Pallas expecting a delay of \u201cat least four years\u201d amid a bitter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":36564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,999,513,163],"tags":[472,993,7529,7,8],"class_list":["post-36563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-australia-politics","category-melbourne-airport","category-rail-industry-news-australia-new-zealand","tag-australian","tag-melbourne","tag-melbourne-airport","tag-transport","tag-victoria"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t