After multiple setbacks the Federal Government appointed mediator of the struggling Melbourne Airport Rail project has cleared the pathway forward and provided much needed direction for the project.
In report tabled to the Hon. Catherine King MP Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Neil Scales provided clarity around the positioning of the station and outlined the critical importance of getting the project moving.
Brimbank Mayor Councillor Ranka Rasic said:
“The mediator has provided a clear way forward and it is time now for all the parties involved to put their differences aside, work together and get the Melbourne Airport Rail project built.”
“We also call on the State Government to reassess its revised timeline of a four-year delay and treat the project with the same priority as the Suburban Rail Loop East, which will service the better connected and more affluent suburbs in Melbourne’s east.”
Not only will the Melbourne Airport Rail be good for Melbournians travelling to and from the airport, but it will also provide airport connections to large Victorian regional towns such as Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, and so will benefit all Victorians.
The Melbourne Airport Rail will also enable development of the Sunshine Precinct, the rebuild of Albion Station and the development of the Albion Quarter. These massive projects are expected to generate almost 30,000 new jobs and attract more than 40,000 new residents to the west.
Sunshine is the only location in Melbourne that the State Government has declared a Metropolitan Activity centre, a National Employment and Innovation Centre, a Priority Precinct and a Transport Super Hub.
The Sunshine Precinct is listed in Infrastructure Australia’s priority list of projects as being of national significance.
