The idea of airport rail has always been politically popular. The thinking is that any self-respecting big city should have one,not a diesel-belching bus service subject to the whims of local traffic.
The federal government knows it. On Friday,Infrastructure Minister Catherine King refused to say whether the Commonwealth’s expert review of infrastructure projects,theexecutive summary of which was released this week,actually backed the link.
“We haven’t released the details about every single individual project,but what we have also done is released the government’s response to that review,and Airport Rail has been one of the projects that we have decided to continue the Commonwealth’s investment on,” King told ABC radio.
When former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announced in April 2018 that the Commonwealth would stump up $5 billion for the project – provided Victoria chipped in an equal amount – he claimed “Melbourne’s airport needs a railway”.
“Melbourne has been left behind by failures to make decisions about investment in this railway,” he said.
Infrastructure Victoria saw things differently. In a 2016 assessment it suggested upgraded bus services,such as dedicated traffic lanes,would be a far cheaper option in the medium term,warning the cost and frequency of the rail proposal “may not attract people to leave their cars at home”.
While people seem to instinctively like the idea of an airport rail link,there are genuine questions about how many people would actually use it,considering the cost,inconvenience and time involved in travelling to the CBD and then out to the airport. The concern is that it would,like other airport rail links,run at a big loss,given the significant capital cost – although a business case released last year found it would deliver a positive return of $1.80 for every $1 invested.