Melbourne & Australian Architecture Topics

For those who remember, back in 1999, the Bracks government promised an airport rail link.

Sydney and Brisbane have one but just 3 years after Labor won the election, transport minister Batchelor announced that a feasibility study (read taxi drivers kicking up a stink) had concluded that the airport link wouldn't be feasible for another 10 years and gave us a Skybus upgrade instead.

Brisbane's airport link just turned a profit after just 6 years of operation.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/stor ... 02,00.html


Skybus now runs as frequently as every 10 minutes and having caught the bus often, I can tell you that despite the hefty fares, it is always crowded, including the redeye.

There is already a line which goes most of the way there which could be utilised. At the very least, a light rail line could be extended.

Surely the numbers stack up now. Assuming that the feasbility study began back in 1999, it is 2008 next year and we would have done our 10 years of pain according to Batchelor.

Thoughts ?[/quote]

For me, this is an illustration of how governments too readily look after narrow sectional interests ahead of the the interests of the wider community.

It is in the broader community's interest to have a rail link to the airport, but some people want to keep a self-gratifying structure that obliges people to use either a slow service or an expensive one. It is a regret that the people we employ to work for us actually work, too often, for someone else.

I say yes as I may be working there soon and the only real option for me to commute to work will be car. There are around 11,000 workers at the airport and I'm sure a fair percentage would patronage a train service if it were available.

People are parking on the freeway reserve to avoid the horrendous (i.e. $20 per hour) parking fees. I am sure a railway line is feasible in that environment.

Come on now that parking fees aren't that bad. I am at the airport on a fortnightly basis and I always see those tightasses dangerously parked on the side of the freeway

Here is the short term car parking fee breakdown (from http://www.melbourneairport.com.au):

Duration Fares
0-20 mins $2.00
20-40 mins $6.00
40-60 mins $10.00
1-2 hrs $18.00
2-3 hrs $18.00
3-4 hrs $30.00
4-10 hrs $30.00
10-24 hrs $42.00

As you can see it is not that expensive. When picking people up I rarely pay more than the $6. It really shits me that people will endanger themselves and others for the sake of a couple of bucks

I don't know where they got that figure from because it doesn't reflect the reality. I was there in December, and paid $18 for 55 minutes in Short Term. And yes, it was 55 minutes. It's extortion and nothing less.

I was leaving the machine when a Melbourne Airport Corporation employee asked about my views on the carpark for a survey. I told her in no uncertain terms of what I thought of the fee structure.

The Melbourne Airport Corporation is just plain greedy. It's an abuse of monopoly to charge such outrageous fees like that.

I am not justifying the parking of cars on the freeway reserve. It is dangerous and illegal. But I can well understand why people do it.