The Melbourne Airport Rail Link (MARL) is a major rail project underway to connect Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine with the Melbourne city center and regional rail network for the first time. The rail link will connect the airport to Melbourne Town Hall station via the Sunshine station and the Metro Tunnel.
As part of the project a new airport station will be built above ground at Melbourne Airport. Sunshine Station will get a huge and costly make over to be upgraded to a major interchange – Sunshine Superhub. The construction is to start in 2026.
As part of that upgrade, the Allan Labor Government’s will be closing a crucial freight rail link which currently offers a freight “crossover” at Sunshine, forcing thousands of trucks on to streets in Melbourne’s inner-western suburbs. These suburbs are already battling gridlock, roadworks and air pollution.
The Sunshine crossover, a track junction built only 15 years ago as part of the Regional Rail Link project, connects broad-gauge trains from Ballarat to dedicated freight tracks at Tottenham Yard and onwards to the Port of Melbourne. This provides an essential lifeline track to goods which need to get to Melbourne Ports.
The closure will not only divert freight through inner-west suburbs such as Yarraville, Footscray, Kensington, Sunshine and Tottenham, but will practically choke the city’s west, undermine regional freight efficiency and drive-up costs for consumers.
The only way the freight will get to its destination Melbourne Ports will be via Geelong and Werribee corridor which adds about 47 kilometres to the distance. The other problem with this option is that it also has a section of single-track line which can cause havoc in case there is derailment or some other bottleneck issue.
Losing this freight “crossover” at Sunshine will also jeopardise the growth of Victoria’s grain export industry. According to The Age, grain handler CHS Broadbent has warned that its planned rail link to a new $30 million distribution hub in Ballarat might no longer be viable if trains were forced to travel an extra 47 kilometres via Geelong.
The state opposition claims the closure will divert the freight of up to 400 trains a week on to trucks. It will also cut flexibility for freight trains during peak passenger periods, creating bottlenecks that force operators into off-peak windows or onto road transport. That will add tens of thousands of extra truck movements through already congested communities
Shadow Ports and Freight Minister Roma Britnell said the government had failed to consult industry or provide a viable alternative. The government should have developed a diversion plan to minimise disruption to the movement of goods and the impact on communities.
“The closure and lack of a diversion plan undermines years of investment in rail freight and contradicts the government’s own goals of reducing congestion, improving road safety and cutting emissions,” Ms Britnell said.
“With the Western Interstate Freight Terminal and Albion–Jacana corridor still years away, operators warn the disruption of the closure will drive up costs, extend delivery times and push consumer prices higher. Rail freight into the Port of Melbourne has already collapsed from 14 per cent to just 6 per cent under Labor, and this decision will push it down further.
“It’s a slap in the face to regional producers, exporters, and the families who live along these freight corridors.
“Labor’s lack of planning is staggering. There’s no clear integration strategy to protect freight productivity or shield communities from the fallout. Once again, Victorians are paying the price for this government’s incompetence.
“Victoria’s economy depends on efficient freight. The Allan Labor Government must stop treating infrastructure like a political photo op and start delivering real solutions.