Six million people a year would use train to Melbourne Airport

[codash1099]

It would be finished by now if they had started when the picture the ABC used was taken:

 

[Melburnian1]

You're looking at it the wrong way. The Tulla freeway is an extension of Melbourne airport's signature product. Car parking.

Very funny. Not an enjoyable road at present.

Margin on car parking that Melbourne Airport enjoys has dropped but from memory it's still around 70 cents in every dollar.

Compare that to KMart or (when profitable in the past) Big W that might make if they're lucky around three cents in every dollar of sales. There must be gold in them thar hills at Tulla.

 

[dajop]

There are certainly multiple options.

The JFK Airtrain option ( a driverless train that links the airport to Broady station via LTCP and some offsite car parks).

The SYD/SIN/LHR-tube option (linked into/extension of existing urban rail system)

The HKG/KUL/Heathrow Express option (dedicated, fast, preferred, expensive though).

Whatever they do, avoid at all costs the BKK option (commuter line that runs at woefully inadequate frequency, with inadequate number of doors, and can take 40 mins to board during peak hour).

But in the meantime they should elevate Terminal Drive (road in from the Tulla), to go straight into departures and car parks, to grade separate the intersection with Centre Road, and reduce the impact of the traffic lights there, which has impacts at times stretching for miles along the Tulla outbound,.

 

[Hvr]

The JFK Airtrain option ( a driverless train that links the airport to Broady station via LTCP and some offsite car parks).

The HND driverless monorail to Sunshine is probably a better example.

Why Sunshine? Well it is closer to Melbourne CBD, lots of the track is already built, and lots of regional/country trains pass through Sunshine. Including the Geelong train if you need to transfer to AVV.

Having travelled on airport trains throughout the world NRT/LHR (HEX)/HKG/SIN are amongst the best in the world.

SYD is horrible and way too expensive for what is a trip on a suburban train where you're resented by the commuters and charged like a wounded bull.

SFO/SEA/ORD/BOS/DCA/CTS and even JFK services are regular commuter services at normal prices. All perfectly ok.

As for BKK, well I don't mind it and will avoid a taxi to/from there if at all possible. Whilst busy I've never seen it take 40 mins to board.

 

[dajop]

As for BKK, well I don't mind it and will avoid a taxi to/from there if at all possible. Whilst busy I've never seen it take 40 mins to board.

From BKK is OK. I have queued for over 40 mins at Makkasan.

There was night last year I was taking it from Makkasan to Airport, it took 20 minutes to get onto platform, then another 25 minutes of waiting in queues that stretched across the platform and finally I knew I would be boarding the third train which was about to arrive! And then the queue I was in was moved away from that door by the attendant and sent to the back of the queue for the next door. I then rang TG, moved my flight to the next morning, booked a night at the Aloft and flew back home the next morning. No way I would have made it had I waited another 20 mins to board.

 

[Himeno]

Agree, there is a narrow corridor off the standard gauge line which goes to the airport along Airport Drive, 7 km. But I'm guessing the powers that be including Skybus think it should be broadgauge like the rest of the Melbourne metro system which pushes up the price.

Putting it on the Standard gauge would also mean less train congestion as it has its own separate route into Spencer Street.

Is this the standard gauge line to Albury? Does anyone else use that track other then the 2 daily XPT service to Sydney and the V/Line service to Albury?

 

[UP4014]

Is this the standard gauge line to Albury? Does anyone else use that track other then the 2 daily XPT service to Sydney and the V/Line service to Albury?

Freight, but you path those between to the passenger without mich issue.

Without looking at a guess 24 freights per day, so one an hour. If I remember I'll check the number later.

 

[Melburnian1]

Is this the standard gauge line to Albury? Does anyone else use that track other then the 2 daily XPT service to Sydney and the V/Line service to Albury?

Freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane, plus Griffith (all impressive lengths) as well as grain trains from the Riverina, and steel trains to and from Port Kembla, and occasional Adelaide - Brisbane freight trains. If the NSW - SA line via Broken Hill is closed, even the 'Indian Pacific' Sydney - Perth train can rarely be diverted.

There are also five return passenger trains each day.

It's slow though going through the tunnel under Footscray. Not electrified. Nowhere to put platforms to serve Footscray.

Plus also slow in and out of Melbourne using that flyover (you can see it from North Melbourne station), which is shared with many broad gauge V/Line commuter and longer distance trains so it's busy during the peaks. I doubt one would be able to fit airport trains in if this route was selected.

There aren't any intermediate platforms (there was at Sunshine until maybe 15 years ago, originally used for connecting passengers from 'The Overland' express when it was on broad gauge via Ballarat (not its current standard gauge route) to the 'Intercapital Daylight Express' each morning except Sundays to Sydney. Latter train a thing of the past.

'The Overland' also uses part of the standard gauge line from Southern Cross to the junction past Tottenham railway station, as this train is now standard gauge and goes via the back of Newport station and down to North Shore. This train to Adelaide has been cut to only twice a week each way.

 

[UP4014]

You'd fit extra passenger services on he flyover without too much trouble. They aren't near the minimum head ways at that point.

The overland is only once per week.

There is the capacity there if the schedulers have the desire and pollies have the will push the bureaucrats into action.

There is always a reason not to do something in the railways.

 

[Melburnian1]

You'd fit extra passenger services on he flyover without too much trouble. They aren't near the minimum head ways at that point.

The overland is only once per week.

There is the capacity there if the schedulers have the desire and pollies have the will push the bureaucrats into action.

There is always a reason not to do something in the railways.

'The Overland' is twice a week each way. Check the schedules. Monday and Friday ex Adelaide and the next day back to it.

The V/Line trains using the flyover must also merge further out with trains starting or going to from platforms 15 or 16 at Southern Cross, as one example. Believe me, it's busy at peak times on weekdays.

 

[serfty]

Also Osaka ... Both ITM and KIX have simple melding with existing networks.

The former had an addon monorail setup, the latter is basically part of the network.

 

[serfty]

You're looking at it the wrong way. The Tulla freeway is an extension of Melbourne airport's signature product. Car parking.

Ironic when consideration is given that the tulla was one of Melbourne's first purpose built freeways and specifically created for the new (then) airport.

 

[Melburnian1]

Ironic when consideration is given that the tulla was one of Melbourne's first purpose built freeways and specifically created for the new (then) airport.

In 1970, it wasn't quite the idea that Sunbury (and what is now Watergardens/ Diggers Rest and environs) would become major suburbs. Sunbury was then a country town. From memory the South Eastern Freeway opened in 1969.

 

[Himeno]

Also Osaka ... Both ITM and KIX have simple melding with existing networks.

The former had an addon monorail setup, the latter is basically part of the network.

The Osaka Monorail isn't really that useful. It's only good if you're going to the Northern Osaka suburbs. It doesn't go into the city. It doesn't even go to Shin-Osaka station, the Shinkansen station to the north of the city.
The KIX rail options are much better and more like what is available at NRT or LHR.

 

[oz_mark]

Earlier this year I decided to use Skybus from Spencer St to the Airport - 5pm on Friday afternoon. Cost $16.20 (10% discount).

And. Skybus would have dropped you off right in front of the terminal. Few people seem to realise that Skybus pay the Airport a fee per passenger to have that premium pickup/drop off point.

 

[serfty]

And. Skybus would have dropped you off right in front of the terminal. Few people seem to realise that Skybus pay the Airport a fee per passenger to have that premium pickup/drop off point.

Yes, a five minute extra walk.

Interestingly if desiring to take to 901 to Broady, it's best to be at the departure stop at least 5 minutes before schedule as I have experienced drivers leaving a few minutes early, both when seeing the vehicle depart from a distance and other times when on the bus .

 

[Melburnian1]

...Interestingly if desiring to take to 901 to Broady, it's best to be at the departure stop at least 5 minutes before schedule as I have experienced drivers leaving a few minutes early, both when seeing the vehicle depart from a distance and other times when on the bus .

serfty, particularly on weekdays when these buses are every quarter of an hour, how do you not know that it isn't a previous bus that say is 12 minutes late departing Melbourne Airport?

I'm not completely sure but maybe not every trip has a long layover timetabled at the airport, and the amount of traffic on some roads that this long route uses means it can still run late even though timetables are not fast.

Once or twice I've waited for a bus there and it's arrived up to 20 minutes after the timetable says there should be one. More often, no discernible problems.

It is a reasonable way to get to or from the airport when it all runs well: I've even managed to jump on a bus at Broadmeadows within a minute of arriving from the train.

 

[UP4014]

For anyone interested, here is the scheduled standard gauge trains including freight. The train numbers indicate departure point and destination. So 2MP9 is Melbourne to Perth, B is Brisbane etc. The operators, PN is Pacific National, VLP is VLine, Countrylink, QUBE is straight forward. GSR is the Overland.

There are a few trains not shown here which stop short of Melbourne proper. Note each train doesn't run everyday and sometimes they don't operate at all. This is the timetable as requested by the rail operators, they book their 'flight path' but don't always use it.

Hope someone finds it useful for slotting in those airport trains!

 

[travelislife]

And. Skybus would have dropped you off right in front of the terminal. Few people seem to realise that Skybus pay the Airport a fee per passenger to have that premium pickup/drop off point.

One of the ‘public benefits’ of privatisation! The public is treated as mugs! PTV buses should have the same access as skybus does. Then see how much patronage it gets. Why do we always sell out the public interest in Australia?

 

[linustan]

By the time when it is finished, they might charge you more than $20 one way...