The federal government will pour $7bn into Melbourne’s airport train in an effort to kickstart work on the long-awaited rail line and stave off the Coalition in traditional Labor seats.
Anthony Albanese on Wednesday announced a $2bn commitment for works at Sunshine station – which is planned to link Melbourne airport, the CBD and regional Victoria – in addition to the $5bn previously pledged to help build the line.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be up to $13bn.
“Whether you’re going on holiday or travelling for work, getting to and from there shouldn’t be the most complicated part of the trip. It should be affordable, convenient and the travel time should be predicted,” Albanese told the Herald Sun’s Future Victoria event.
“Melbourne airport needs a rail line. Melbourne needs one. Victorians deserve one.”
In 2020, the state and federal governments each committed $5bn to the project. But since then, the project has stalled over the state government’s insistence it would not finance the more expensive underground option demanded by the airport.
The federal government eventually brought in mediators and the airport backed down, though the state government in the interim delayed the timeline of their funding by at least four years.
Albanese said the issue with the airport had now been resolved and “we want to get on with it”.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, said her government would bring forward $2bn in funding for the station following Albanese’s announcement, but it wouldn’t be adding to its own $5bn commitment.
The funding would allow for construction of extra platforms and a dedicated line for regional rail services connecting to Melbourne Airport. Track, bridge and signalling improvements will also be made to allow for work on the electrification of the Melton Line to begin.
Allan said this work – the “most complex part” of the project – would be complete by 2030, but would not give a date for when passengers would be able to ride the train line.
“As we know through some of the challenges we’ve had with the airport rail project … particularly with some issues with the airport itself … [has] caused delays,’ she said.
“What this does mean that we now have to go through a process of resetting the timeline for delivery of the overall project.”
The prime minister used his speech to also announce $1.2bn for a “suburban road blitz” to improve intersections in Carrum and Cranbourne West and upgrade Old Sydney Road betweenBeveridge and Wallan.
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Earlier on Wednesday, Alabanese rejected the notion he was splashing cash in Victoria to improve his electorate fortunes.
The state has become a battleground at the election, with the Coalition hoping to capitalise on voter disillusionment with the federal and state governments, the latter of which has been polling poorly in its third term.
“Victoria was left abandoned by the federal government for a long period of time,” Albanese said. “My government is investing in Victorian infrastructure, like we are right around the country.”
Sunbury falls within the electorate of Hawke, an outer Melbourne seat the Coalition is targeting, along with similar suburban electorates Aston, Bruce, Dunkley, Holt and McEwen.
At a recent state byelection in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer west, Labor suffered a 10% swing against it.
The result, however, led to a group of state and federal Labor MPs urging Albanese to shift funding away from the suburban rail loop to fund projects in Melbourne’s west and north.
Several MPs also called for Melbourne airport to be prioritised over the first stage of the loop, the 26km stretch of tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill dubbed SRL East, estimated to cost $34.5bn.
The state government has allocated about $9.3bn for SRL East, while earlier this month, the federal government released the $2.2bn it committed to the rail loop at the 2022 election.
On Wednesday , Albanese said he was on the “same page” as the Victorian government when it came to SRL. He said the $2bn funding for Sunshine station would allow it to become a “real precinct” as envisioned under the SRL plan.
