MEL rail link - latest iteration

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Typically Australian approach to pricing will, no doubt, see stratospheric prices. Not "what is a public transport service reasonably worth, given that the public have paid for the construction", but "what is the maximum we can gouge from the millionaires who fly?" Doubtless, like the Sydney extortion, it will be priced just less than half the taxi fare for 2 people travelling together or Skybus "plus convenience charge", not that Skybus is any example of reasonable pricing.
At the moment, the Perth fares seem to fit the ordinary transit zones. So is this another person who believes that WA is not really part of Australia?

Well we are far enough away from the politicians in Canberra..........

Ducking while wandering
Fred
 
I live very close to the northern rail corridor in Sydney, so potential to use train to the airport is a serious no-brainer. I'd take the train just to avoid random Sydney traffic snarls, but it's also relaxing, and would be - if not for the surcharge - very cheap. Did you know you can go to Sydney airport from Newcastle or the Blue Mountains for $9, only a few bucks more than the cost of travelling from the CBD? Of course you then have to add the $15 it costs to cross the station barrier (the get-out charge!). But if you do more than one in/out per week, the rest of those transits are effectively free. Compare that to $80 for a taxi from Chatswood to airport, the equivalent distance of (say) St Kilda to Tulla.

Here's the conspiracy theory: Special airport station surcharges are pitched as "cost recoveries". I get the concept of "user pays", but IMHO a highly priced Airport station access works for airport corporations. Given a surcharge like Sydney, a family of four on five day trip is incented to drive because it's cheaper all-up than the train. And I think we all know that the real prize for running an airport is the pot of gold called "parking fees".
 
Before Covid, everyone of a certain type, (ie, backpackers, Asian students/Asian tourists, or tourist with a certain oomph (trying to "win" that seat above the driver on the upper deck), would get the Skybus from outside T1, not knowing or caring that they could get a seat if they walk to T4 at Tulla.
I wonder how much the govt/train operator expects to make from the trips.
I am sure people will see, ah, Skybus and still catch that, no matter its nearly $20 one way to Melbourne city (assuming no return trips/no pairs deal/no kids in tow).
I have only seen lots of backpackers/Asians etc, use the Skybus, parents with kids will gravitate towards the taxi rank.
If they price it too high, they would not make money, its the opposite to SYD, where everyone catches the airport train.

Well we are far enough away from the politicians in Canberra..........
They (those "specials") have their Commcars at their beck and call.
Grin, wonder where C1 is parked, if the PM has "business" in Sydney, does his driver have to drive the car from Canberra to Sydney, or is there an unmarked C2/C3 hidden somewhere in every Aust capital city.
 
They (those "specials") have their Commcars at their beck and call.
Grin, wonder where C1 is parked, if the PM has "business" in Sydney, does his driver have to drive the car from Canberra to Sydney, or is there an unmarked C2/C3 hidden somewhere in every Aust capital city.

Much like AF1 only has that code when the president is aboard.

Same as C1 and the Crown car (for the GG).

Afaik they're clip on plates.
 
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I have only seen lots of backpackers/Asians etc, use the Skybus
Well... you missed seeing me last November, on a one-day hand-carry trip to Melbourne. According to my diary, the Sydney end was driving to a gravel-pit parkade off-airport, which worked out $10 cheaper than the train. Can't remember how I got from Tulla to Melbourne CBD - Skybus, I think.. I know I chickened out of using the 901 bus. But I clearly remember the return trip: coming out of a meeting in South Melbourne, walking four blocks, then waiting for Skybus on City Road for over an hour in stinking heat. But y'know: once on board it was quiet, comfy, and did eventually get me to QF.
 
Actually it's more like they've mooted a 'frequency' rather than a timetable.
The hours of operation are essential. Like SkyBus it will need to basically operate 24 hours to cover all flights including freight.
From the concepts presented at a Vic Govt Transport Infrastructure Conference I was at about four years ago, the idea for the Melbourne rail network is they won't have timetables, but operate on a European style 10 minute model i.e. a train comes through every ten minutes.
The layout they proposed was interesting (if it's still the same that is), having Sunshine as a hub means people can come in from the west, or change to a different train that goes out to the eastern suburbs without stopping at Southern Cross, which is why it will be part of the metro network. The clever thing, was they were going to also pull the Melb-Syd and the Mel-Bendigo freight lines across to loop through the Tullamarine Freight Park, connecting up road/rail/air freight.
 
For Themaiz, as to "gravel parkade", you mean the carpark, (on the other side of the EW runway, near the "plane watchers hill/small beach/the round dome tower/and the main SYD airport control tower), and then get the transfer shuttle, that goes through the "millions" of speed humps as it traverses the drop off/pick up zone at SYD T1...
I don't really like the KST or the Blu Emu shuttle, as they have to go through the many humps, and would prefer the 400 bus to Bondi Junction, even if I had a car in Sydney and license, I would leave the car at home and get the 400 bus.
Only ever travel HLO.
As for MEL, there is no way to pay cash to the driver, you really do need to buy a Myki, and they have removed the Myki machine at Tullamarine T2/T3 downstairs, and there are no Myki machines at the T1, so people just tell the 901 driver, "I only have cash and no Myki", 901 driver then tells pax to buy Myki at Broady, which the pax would usually not buy, as they would then disperse from there/or the pax does not get off at Broady, and driver does not say a word.
I sometimes used to get the 479 to Airport West, also same sorry story, no Myki, the story goes on and on.
There should be a Myki machine at the undercover "bus station" at Tulla airport, but there is nothing there.
Maybe that is where the train station is planned to end up, under the multistory carpark at T4.
 
you really do need to buy a Myki, and they have removed the Myki machine at Tullamarine T2/T3 downstairs, and there are no Myki machines at the T1,

There is (was?) a Myki machine in T4 (although inside) that you practically have to walk past to get from T1/2/3 to the public transport bus stops. I definitely used it last year.
 
I know there was one on the T3 VA bag carousel zone, (that Myki machine disappeared), maybe that T4 one took over from the one at T3 at Tulla.
Maybe one of our MEL based colleagues could do a recon mission sooner or later.
I am too snotty to use T4, never used that one.
Never gone through dom security screening/or flown into/out of MEL T4 that is.
Edit: it says on the PTV website, "you cannot buy or top up a Myki on a bus".
Hopefully that T4 Myki machine is still there, though Googlepay can do Myki topups, the website says, but need the app, or phone the 1800 phone number to top up.
Ok, I will let my waffly stop here, now.
 
Well... you missed seeing me last November, on a one-day hand-carry trip to Melbourne. According to my diary, the Sydney end was driving to a gravel-pit parkade off-airport, which worked out $10 cheaper than the train. Can't remember how I got from Tulla to Melbourne CBD - Skybus, I think.. I know I chickened out of using the 901 bus. But I clearly remember the return trip: coming out of a meeting in South Melbourne, walking four blocks, then waiting for Skybus on City Road for over an hour in stinking heat. But y'know: once on board it was quiet, comfy, and did eventually get me to QF.
As a business traveller have always been a heavy user of Skybus. I could fly into Tulla, jump on the bus to Southern Cross Station and then the tram up to the Vic Govt offices where most of our meetings were. It was cheaper and quicker than a taxi - I normally bought my ticket online and printed it out. Some mornings you would be in the taxi queue longer than it took the bus to get into town. In Sydney I use the train, as it is still quicker and more reliable than the bus or taxi, as you don't have to contend with the traffic snarls. Although getting from Darling Harbour to Central on the Light Rail one afternoon was problematic, as the Light Rail was full to brim. After letting two trams go past, I had to shove onto the next one, as I had a flight to catch. Sort of like the London Tube in the morning - get a run up and apologise as you climb in.
 
But not too snotty to use the public bus? 🤣 :p

The machine in T4 is literally just inside the door as you walk past on the way to the bus bays. It's a 20 second detour from the footpath.

No 5 on this map:
Yap, not too snotty for the 901.
Ta for the tip, guess that is where the T3 Myki machine has been moved to.
Good to know its new location, otherwise have to recharge/topup Myki online, meaning having to log in/sign in.
Back to the gist of the post, so the new train line, is not going to link into Broad(y)?
 
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Back to the gist of the post, so the new train line, is not going to link into Broad(y)?
Eventually it will, see earlier psot:

 
Only way is to tunnel it like what SYD is, and what PER is doing.
Maybe go under the Tullamarine Freeway, part way?
Granted that PER is only adding 3 stations, so will be lower cost, WA govt has said theirs will not have any extra, ie, no gate fee.
Thanks for the info, hopefully we will be around to see it happen, touch "aircraft" metal.
Re: Uber at Melbourne Airport, never used it, but I would say Uber, Tulla to Broady, would be $25.
Never game enough to accept those guy at Tulla airport asking quietly, pickup/want a ride, knowing its against airport policy for them to do it.

Did try a taxi from Mentone to Melbourne city one, few years ago, I think I paid $75.

Pity Perth Airport have such poor relationships with the airlines especially QF and VA. Hopefully COVID has reset a lot of that bad blood and they can work more constructively and build some new routes in a post pandemic world, so their air rail will actually get used!
 
Pity Perth Airport have such poor relationships with the airlines especially QF and VA. Hopefully COVID has reset a lot of that bad blood and they can work more constructively and build some new routes in a post pandemic world, so their air rail will actually get used!
A big target for the rail line is also the FIFIO workers and that is why the line will start operations early in the morning. There will be another station past the airport that will cater to a lot of new subdivisions in the foothills and beyond. The 20 minute travel time from that station to the CBD will be far faster than by car and much cheaper. The fare will be (currently) $3.92 with a Card or $4.90 for cash. This is the same as for the station at T1 &2. The fare from the station 'near' to T3 & 4 is $2.56 & $3.20 respectively.
 
I was hoping for a bit more imagination by putting the Bendigo and North-East regional trains through the airport.
 
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