Undated. Aerial of Melbourne Airport. Tullamarine. Planes. Terminal. Tarmac. Picture: Peter Ward Source: Herald Sun
MORE than six million people a year would use a rail link to Melbourne Airport.
Its officials analysed train patronage at major world airports and booming passenger numbers at Tullamarine, expected to host 46 million people a year by 2023, to make the call.
In the airport's new draft master plan, released yesterday, they forecast that six million people a year using the link - about 15 per cent of the expected number of airport users by 2020 - would remove 11,000 private car journeys from Melbourne's congested roads.
About 10 per cent of current passengers catch the SkyBus. The airport wants up to a quarter of all trips to Tullamarine to be made by public transport by 2022.
Industry experts say six million passengers a year catching a train to the airport is realistic compared with Sydney and overseas airports. A one-way fare would cost about $16.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce yesterday backed calls for a rail link.
"I would be a very big supporter of the rail link to Melbourne airport," Mr Joyce said during a visit to Melbourne yesterday.
"There's no point in having new runways and terminals if people are waiting hours to get to the facility."
Mr Joyce said it was vital that the infrastructure kept pace with the growth in air travel, and the costs involved in getting to and from the airport should be kept as low as possible for passengers.
"Having ground transport that's affordable for people is as important as cheap fares," he said.
The State Government's recent report into a Melbourne Airport rail link recommended a 28km route via Albion East and using the proposed Metro rail tunnel. It says the 9km tunnel from South Yarra to South Kensington is Victoria's public transport priority -- but has pushed ahead with the East West Link first.
Up to 17 per cent of travellers at Sydney Airport use the rail link. Overseas, 63 per cent of passengers use the airport rail link in Oslo, 41 per cent in Paris and 37 per cent in Munich.
Tourism and Transport Forum director of aviation policy Justin Wastnage said: "Almost all airports above 40 million passengers either have existing rail links or have rail links under construction."
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