MEDIA RELEASE: End the waiting for rail link: Moonee Valley Mayor

Melbourne Airport continues to delay the much-needed Airport Rail Link by insisting on an underground train station at the airport, says Moonee Valley City Council Mayor, Cr Pierce Tyson.

Mayor Tyson has called on the airport to end its impasse and drop impractical and obstructionist demands for an underground station.

His call comes after Melbourne Airport’s recent issuing of a newsletter to residents in surrounding and nearby suburbs, in which it reiterated its demands for an underground station.

The newsletter stated if the rail line is ever to be extended beyond the airport, it must be built below ground, as building over the top of runways is impossible.

In November last year, the Federal Government reaffirmed $5 billion in funding towards the construction of the long-awaited rail link. There are no plans, developed or proposed, for a train line beyond Melbourne Airport.

“This is a classic misdirection tactic,” Mayor Tyson said.

“Moonee Valley residents deserve better. Council secured a commitment to the train station after years of advocacy. We now have all tiers of government in support of the train station at Airport West/Keilor East, which will significantly benefit our residents.“It’s not fair that progress is being held up over demands for an underground station at the airport.”

Mayor Tyson said Moonee Valley was home to one of the highest proportions of airport and transport workers in the country, and he urged Melbourne Airport to “think about the community and their neighbours who supply the workforce for the airport”.

“Those workers would rather see the project commence and completed rather than more delays due to Melbourne Airport’s expensive demands,” he said.

Mayor Tyson said the same Melbourne Airport newsletter also called for Public Transport Victoria to provide more bus links to nearby towns and suburbs for airport passengers and workers.

“This is nothing more than a clumsy attempt to deflect from obstructionist game-playing” Mayor Tyson said.

“It’s time for Melbourne Airport to deliver back to our community.”

Melbourne Airport’s proposed third runway – for which draft plans have been submitted to the Federal Government this month for approval – would put even more pressure onto existing road networks to transport people to and from the airport, Mayor Tyson said, which negated any benefits of more buses.

“Airport West and Keilor East is barely 12 kilometres from the CBD, yet our residents there live in a black hole of train connectivity,” he said.

ENDS

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Jo Roberts, Team Leader, Media and Strategic Communications

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