Brimbank City Council welcomes the announcement that the Melbourne Airport will support an above-ground station for the proposed airport rail line.
Melbourne Airport’s decision means that now the Melbourne Airport Rail can be delivered, without delay and without regrets, as the community wants and expects.
Positioning the station above ground was a key recommendation of the Federal Government appointed mediator Neil Scales, who also outlined the critical importance of getting the project moving, starting with the development of the Sunshine Precinct.
In response, the Mayor of Brimbank Cr Ranka Rasic has called for the State Government to prioritise work on the Sunshine Precinct as a key mechanism for unlocking investment, providing jobs and leveraging the $20B investment in the region.
Underpinned by transport connections to Melbourne’s CBD, Melbourne Airport Rail, the Suburban Rail Loop and regional rail network, the Sunshine Precinct, which includes the Sunshine Station Super Hub are critical to unlocking the potential of the area as the transport and economic heart of the west.
Along with the rebuild of Albion Station and the development of the Albion Quarter, the Sunshine Precinct with the Melbourne Airport Rail are expected to generate almost 30,000 new jobs and attract more than 40,000 new residents to the west, critical to achieving the housing targets set recently by the State Government.
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.
Quotes to be attributed to Brimbank Mayor Cr Ranka Rasic:
“The announcement by the Melbourne Airport operator provides a clear pathway to get the Melbourne Airport Rail built. The next step recommended by the mediator is to start ‘no regrets’ work on the Sunshine Precinct. Not only is this a critical part of the Melbourne Airport Rail, but it’s also going to start to deliver benefits for residents, bringing people and jobs to the west.
“This year the Victorian Government set ambitious targets for housing in each Local Government Area. It’s hard to see how we can achieve those targets without critical government investment in the development of the Sunshine Precinct and the nearby Albion Quarter. We can’t afford any more delays.
“I urge the Premier to reassess the revised timeline of a four-year delay and treat the Melbourne Airport Rail 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.”