Will Melbourne get Rail link to Tullamarine

[Mwenenzi]

It wont happen, the contract for the road excluded any other connection for a set amount of time I’m pretty sure

It's a myth.

Absulute urban myth. There is no restriction on building a rail link: only money and politcal will power.

I would not not want to see a train unless it was seriously fast and did a circuit of the loop.

Any high speed train would have HIGH fare SKY HIGH capital cost never repay the capital. High fare = few passengers. A dedicated airport train only gets a few people to where they need to go. Most would need get more transport from the city train terminal to where ever.

Any MEL airport trains needs be an extension of the existing system and using the same fare system / zones. (Then I could use it to ge me home on a Zone 2 ticket)

Now just a little bit off topic. Why are the pedestrian bridges from the car park at Tulla not a level higher so that the pedestrians and vehicles doe not clash at the departures level?

Stupid architects more interested in arty coughty looks that someting practial. Writing as a Mechanical Enigineer it can be fixed:- cut and weld the damn walkway so its lower the upper road

 

[Oneworldplus2]

...But plenty of others are pretty useless such as Singapore, Heathrow. Even the Sydney deal is pretty coughbersome and the Brisbane one is a ripoff compared to other fares on that network.

I used to get the tube to Heathrow when l was living there and found it pretty good. Can't recall the prices as l was using a Oyster Card.

Sydney isn't too bad, but it depends on where you live l guess.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I thought it might be interresting to get some opinions on whether Melbourne will get a Rail link to Tulla. This is an issue that has been in and out of the media, and political area for over 40 years. Last year we went on the Maglev in Shanghia, and the first thought was that we have to have one going to Tulla airport. For those of you who have not been on it, you are really missing something, 480KPH of wow this is good.
How do others feel about this, and what are there thoughts.
Please try to keep Politics out of it.

Politics - the art of the possible............would love to keep out of but really just can't.

 

[Mal]

Would hate to see an overpriced white elephant!

Brisbane, Sydney ... both have been elephants before financial restructuring.

Quite simply in MEL, the Skybus is a great equivalent. I wish BNE had something similar....

 

[Mal]

Can't recall the prices as l was using a Oyster Card.

Centre of London to Heathrow via Tube:
£4.50 Cash ticket.
£4.20 Oyster Peak (Monday to Friday from 0630 to 0930 and from 1600 to 1900.)
£2.40 Oyster Off-Peak (All other times).

 

[dajop]

With you on Singapore, it's just a standard MRT line and not even an express.

But it is also at standard MRT prices. You get what you pay for, and the 30 min or so trip is just fine when it is only about $2 AUD to get to or from the airport. It would be too expensive to build an express line, and people just wouldn't pay much more for a train when taxis are so cheap. Besides, it's main purpose is not to transport passengers, but to serve the many locals who work at the airport, and for that purpose it works really well, in fact probably vastly better option for airport employees compared to most other airports around the world.

As for MEL, it's a paradox, build a dedicated (express) line and it would be too expensive, and build an extension line to say Broadmeadows, the time savings won't be there and if BNE and SYD are anything to go by the ticket costs will make it no cheaper than a 20-25 min trip on the Skybus. The 901 bus seems a good compromise, allows you to get to the airport with a Zone 1/2 ticket with no BNE/SYD style surcharge.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Yes true, but that is not what I meant. I want people to discuss types of train, route, underground or overhead on rail (eg Maglev). Is it worth it, or not, will it add to the Airport.
By the By, will the Fed's put in any money ??????????????

That's Politics!!!!

 

[serfty]

...

Any MEL airport trains needs be an extension of the existing system and using the same fare system / zones. (Then I could use it to ge me home on a Zone 2 ticket) ...

You may be able to do that already with the extended 901 bus service:

Note the buses have been really given the @rse with the bus stop being moved from the convenient central inner ring location to about 200 metres south of T4.:shock:

(More here: Tullamarine Transport)

 

[VHOEJ]

I doubt it will ever happen - goes into the 'too expensive' basket.

In saying that, I concur about the Skybus. Very efficent, quick, runs frequently. The only delay is people boarding and getting off with all of thier bags, and sometimes you have to wait because it is full. Even the price is reasonable.

It would be interesting if another operator could operate to a different location in the city.

 

[markis10]

I doubt it will ever happen - goes into the 'too expensive' basket.

In saying that, I concur about the Skybus. Very efficent, quick, runs frequently. The only delay is people boarding and getting off with all of thier bags, and sometimes you have to wait because it is full. Even the price is reasonable.

It would be interesting if another operator could operate to a different location in the city.

People used to think that Sydney would never get rail to the airport because of the airport express bus service as well, times and attitudes change.

 

[Dalescott]

The problem with the Bus is in peak hour, and there are time issues. My personal choice is for a direct high speed, overhead Maglev service from Southern Cross to the Airport. Yes I know it would be expensive, and would need to be subsidized. But I believe that it would put Tullmarine at the front of all other Australian airport, would be the gateway to Australia. I also believe that this would with an added marketing push internationally, make Victoria a tourism destination.
Agree or disagree

 

[samh004]

The problem with the Bus is in peak hour, and there are time issues. My personal choice is for a direct high speed, overhead Maglev service from Southern Cross to the Airport. Yes I know it would be expensive, and would need to be subsidized. But I believe that it would put Tullmarine at the front of all other Australian airport, would be the gateway to Australia. I also believe that this would with an added marketing push internationally, make Victoria a tourism destination.
Agree or disagree

You really like the Maglev!

The Shanghai one cost USD$1.33 billion. Using my bad math, and basing this off their lowest ticket price of USD$5.81, they’d need 228,915,663 fares to just cover the cost of construction, then there’s staff to be paid, power etc… seems like it’d take a while to pay off. Last time I used it I was one of a handful on it.

I think a high-speed rail connection would be an easier sell along with terminal and runway expansion, which should happen at some point anyway, but the prohibitive cost would likely shelve the Maglev over something cheaper.

 

[serfty]

SYD needed the Olympics as a reason and BNE the "Friendship" games I believe.

 

[medhead]

I would like to see it being done on the same model as FRA. Highspeed rail link Melbourne - Sydney that hooks in with MEL airport. Possibly with suburban options as well, what about a rail line out to Sunbury somewhere, Is there one already? It terms of pay off the rail line needs to be structured to remove cars from the road. Even if you can get one in 4 cars going to the airport converted to train (oh and remove skybus) that is going to reduce road congestion and the save in needing to upgrade roads in the longer term.

 

[Nigelinoz]

what about a rail line out to Sunbury somewhere, Is there one already?

Yes,there's a rail station in Sunbury on the Bendigo line,there is also a bus service from Sunbury to Mel Airport.

 

[medhead]

Yes,there's a rail station in Sunbury on the Bendigo line,there is also a bus service from Sunbury to Mel Airport.

There you go, run that line via MEL, dedicated line off the suburban service and then put in suburban platforms as well. Really it would need to get a decent population density feeding into MEL as a central type destination instead only allowing travel between southern cross and MEL. No point making someone from Sunbury/Bendigo (for example) go past the airport and then have to return.

Certainly I'm putting out pie in the sky stuff here.

 

[munitalP]

For pie in the sky stuff, we could follow China's lead, not the maglev (which is ice cold it's that cool) but single pole elevated line. These could easily run down the centre of the tulla freeway

 

[dajop]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the mooted $250m rail link to MEL's other airport ... ie the spur line proposed to AVV....

 

[munitalP]

Its funny how things go around in a complete circle!

Look at this quote from dajop- now if only we can get him to predict the lotto numbers for next week

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the mooted $250m rail link to MEL's other airport ... ie the spur line proposed to AVV

 

[dajop]

Look at this quote from dajop- now if only we can get him to predict the lotto numbers for next week

I'm afraid I can't do that, as much as I'd like to IIRC the AVV spur line was an election promise from Ted Baillieu. Maybe he can help with the lotto numbers :!: