The Victorian government will double the size of Sunshine Railway Station as part of the precinct's masterplan.
A new regional platform will transform the station, 12km west of the CBD, into a “superhub” by 2029, creating a key interchange between metro, regional, suburban and airport lines.
The state transport department is currently in the consultation phase of drafting a Sunshine Station masterplan to create a new precinct which the Brimbank City Council hopes will be in line with its 2050 vision.
Construction is expected to begin on the airport line in the coming months with the Melbourne Airport Rail Link to establish new offices at Sunshine Plaza.
Victoria minister for transport Jacinta Allan said the new platform was an investment in developing Sunshine as the centre of Melbourne’s booming west.
“With most people travelling directly between the airport and their home, Melbourne Airport Rail Link route via Sunshine provides a solution that benefits most Victorians through good connectivity to the existing metropolitan and regional rail network,” Allan said.
“Pre-Covid, over 40 per cent of the 20,000-plus daily regional trips made to and from Melbourne Airport came from Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.
“This is why the development of Sunshine’s superhub and running airport services through the Metro Tunnel is so beneficial. It provides easy connections to these regions, to key city services and trips into the heart of the CBD in around 30 minutes.”
The suburban rail loop was first announced in 2018 around the same time as the Melbourne Airport Rail with construction on both lines expected to start this year.
