23.04.2018The Sunshine Route

After consulting members, and key stakeholders, Committee for Melbourne has taken the position of supporting the design, planning, and construction of a rail link between Melbourne’s CBD and Melbourne Airport, via Sunshine. This support is subject to further detailed analysis confirming that a rail service via the Sunshine route will be fast, reliable, and competitive, and has the capacity to unlock broader benefits for Melbourne and Victoria.

The full position paper can be read here.

At an event hosted member K&L Gates on the 1 August 2018, Melbourne Airport MD and CEO, Lyell Strambi, stated that although talk about an airport link for our city started in 1965 and much remains to be done, we have never been closer to having a mass transit link to Melbourne Airport.

The Committee also discussed the merits of the four proposed routes as well as strategic priorities for delivery with members and stakeholders. Our five guiding principles which the Committee submitted to the Federal and State governments in January, 2018.

The discussion was followed by a panel discussion with K&L Gates’ Zac Kerr and Infranexus (Southern Cross Station) Management’s Colin Chanter. The conversation covered all bases from funding models, to prospects for private sector investment, to the potential for remote check-in facilities.

The forum identified the Sunshine route as the preferred option subject to detailed further analysis on project funding and execution to ensure it will provide a world-class solution for Melbourne.

Further clarity is needed around:

• travel time and pricing
• adaptability to rapidly changing technology
• flexibility to service the airport’s needs for the long-term
• customer-centricity
• opportunities to unlock broader benefits for Melbourne and Victoria

‘Brand Melbourne’ needs this asset – a visitor’s experience and impression of Melbourne starts and ends at the airport.