Brimbank City Council has welcomed the announcement to kick off the rebuild of Sunshine Station by the State and Federal Governments.
The Sunshine Precinct is listed in Infrastructure Australia’s priority list of projects as being of national significance. It is also the only location in Melbourne that the State Government has declared a Metropolitan Activity Centre, a National Employment and Innovation Centre, a Priority Precinct, and a Transport Super Hub.
The redevelopment of Sunshine Station is the first concrete step towards realising the community vision for Sunshine as outlined in Council’s Sunshine Priority Precinct Vision 2050 and the State Government’s Sunshine Station Masterplan.
The redevelopment of Sunshine Station as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail will enable the development of the Sunshine Precinct, the rebuild of Albion Station and the development of the Albion Quarter. These massive projects are expected to generate almost 30,000 new jobs and attract more than 40,000 new residents to the west, helping to address the critical need for housing.
Brimbank Council Acting CEO Lynley Dumble said in a recent independent mediation process that explored how the Melbourne Airport Rail can be best progressed, Neil Scales OBE recommended that works continue at Sunshine Station to transform this into the major transport hub it was planned to be.
“This is a win for Brimbank and a significant step towards establishing Sunshine as the economic powerhouse of the west and one of the satellite CBDs of Melbourne,” the CEO said.
“It is encouraging to see all levels of government working together to rebuild and redevelop Sunshine Station into a transport superhub.
“However, the question remains, why delay the Melbourne Airport Rail? The sooner works commence, the sooner the return on investment will be realised.”
While the upgrade of transport infrastructure is required to meet the increased demands of the Melbourne Airport Rail, the recent approval of a third runway at Melbourne Airport has created an urgency to fast-track the Melbourne Airport Rail project. The significant increase in passengers and airport staff following the delivery of the third runway in 2031 is likely to increase already heavy traffic congestion if the timeline of the Melbourne Airport Rail is not revised to be completed by then.
