Melbourne Airport railway station is a proposed station on the planned Melbourne Airport railway line that will serve Melbourne Airport. Initially scheduled to open in 2029, the project is facing extensive delays, with completion now expected from 2033.[1][2][3]
Airport line express services to Cranbourne and Pakenham
Project delays
Previously planned to open in 2029, in early 2023, media reports suggested there may be a delay in the construction of the airport link.[5]
In May 2023, the state government also confirmed that contracting for further works on the airport rail link would be temporarily paused and no new contracts would be entered into until the completion of a major Commonwealth Government review of the country's infrastructure pipeline.[6] In November 2023, following the review the federal government reaffirmed its matching $5 billion commitment towards the project.[6]
Station design dispute
In September 2022, the state government announced that the airport station would be an elevated structure built near the terminals, rather than an underground station, as this would be quicker to build, cheaper and cause less disruption.[7]
The airport operator, Australia Pacific Airports Corporation (APAC), has objected to the station being elevated, calling for the station to be underground in order to facilitate its plans for terminal expansion and improve connectivity to the proposed Suburban Rail Loop.[8]
In May 2023, then Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan said slow and difficult negotiations with Melbourne Airport over the use of airport land for the station had caused more delays.[9] In April 2024, an independent mediator was appointed by the federal government to resolve the ongoing dispute between the state government and the airport.[10] In May 2024, Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas confirmed in the state budget that the project would be delayed by at least four years, with completion not expected until 2033 at the earliest.[11]
In July 2024, Melbourne Airport confirmed it was willing to work with the Victorian Government on the delivery of an above-ground station, however, the time taken to conduct the negotiations up to that point caused the project to be delayed until 2033, a four-year delay.[12] The proposed site for the station is at the southern end of the airport terminals, near the Terminal 4 carpark building.[13]
