Six million people a year would use train to Melbourne Airport

[Must...Fly!]

The downside of lack of direct access to Southern Cross will be for Shepp/Albury pax, those taking Vline coaches and those staying nearby to Southern X. .

They already have the best connection with the 901 at Broadmeadows.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

The only way a consortium can get a Melbourne airport railway built promptly is if they paint it rainbow and cover the whole thing with rainbow flags all day everyday

 

[elanshin]

The expected time to travel on the proposed Melbourne Airport Rail Link from the airport to Southern Cross station (assuming the railway is ever built) is the same as the time it currently takes on the Sky Bus service. You wonder why they’re bothering.

And if you add to that the fact that the travel time will be the same 30 minutes as the current Sky Bus then one wonders why anyone’s considering building it in the first place.

Travel time is only one aspect. Capacity is another.

The skybus at peak really struggles to keep everyone moving. You might have to wait for 1-3 skybuses. Then theres potential road congestion. It'll only take 1 crash and the times blow out.

Then you consider the aspirations that Melbourne has to being an even bigger city (they need a new terminal building too....) with more PAX going through the airport, the Skybus is going to quickly reach its limits.

Plus the cost involved in running skybus. Both from fuel and drivers perspective.

Edit: also given skybus' limited route. A lot of people are driving where as more people may take the train to places that's not Southern Cross.