AVALON AIRPORT RAIL LINK Planning study findings and public exhibition Introduction Avalon Airport Rail Link is a proposed rail link connecting Avalon Airport with Melbourne and Geelong. The rail link will help support Avalon to become Victoria’s second international passenger airport, ensuring that Victoria remains competitive into the future. Study purpose Reservation of the rail link corridor The rail link design has been developed to between the Melbourne – Geelong accurately define the proposed corridor. This planning study is being undertaken rail line and Avalon Airport is being to identify and protect a reservation for implemented by amendment to the Bridge structures will provide rail- a future rail link to the airport. Greater Geelong Planning Scheme to over-road grade separations at Old introduce a Public Acquisition Overlay. Melbourne Road, Princes Freeway and Beach Road. No permanent Background waterways will be crossed but the design would accommodate areas of Situated 20 km north-east of the City Project need temporary ponding after heavy rain, of Geelong and 55 km south-west of The rail link is part of an integrated using culverts or other infrastructure. Melbourne, Avalon Airport is a fully plan to ensure that Victoria is well operational commercial airline facility positioned in the future to cater for The rail link will terminate at a station to with an operating domestic airline the expected growth in air travel. be constructed adjacent to the existing terminal and a runway capable of passenger terminal area of the airport. receiving aircraft up to A380. With the The Victorian Government is planning support of government, the private for a population of more than 10 million operator Avalon Airport Australia Pty people by 2051, including 7.8 million Transport services Ltd is working to secure an international people in Greater Melbourne. By 2061 airline operation at the airport. there is forecast to be around 120 in Avalon area million air passenger movements in The Avalon area is served by existing The Victorian Government is currently and out of the Melbourne region. The transport services including: seeking to reserve a corridor as the first capacity of Melbourne Airport is finite stage in the development of the rail link. and there are long lead times and • V/Line services between Geelong Reserving the corridor in the short-term costs associated with its expansion. and Melbourne, the majority of will protect the land from inappropriate which stop at Lara and Little River Avalon’s key market is the low-cost development, and ensure that the • Bus shuttle and coach services travel market, and in order to be corridor is available for the rail link. linking Melbourne, Geelong attractive to ‘low-cost’ carriers, airports and the Surf Coast with flights The proposed rail link will provide a need to be served by a range of at Avalon Airport connection to the existing Melbourne – transport modes – and more specifically Geelong rail line, running from a point have excellent public transport links. • Taxi services and affordable parking between Lara and Little River to the International experience shows the at the airport. existing and future airport passenger benefits of rail in attracting airlines and It has been assumed that, when terminals. It runs across predominantly customers to low-cost airports. introduced, V/Line trains would open farming land between the operate between Southern Cross existing railway line and Princes Station and Avalon via Regional Rail Freeway before crossing Beach Road Rail link description Link and the Melbourne – Geelong rail and entering the airport en route to the line and from Geelong via the current existing terminal. The rail link connects the existing Melbourne – Geelong rail line with Melbourne – Geelong rail line. Avalon Airport, providing connections to Melbourne and Geelong. AVALON AIRPORT RAIL LINK: Planning study findings and public exhibition 2 Figure 1 Avalon Airport Rail Link Legend You Yangs Rd Edgars Rd Built up areas Rail line Little River Freeway Farrars Rd TO MELBOURNE Branch Rd Cherry Swamp Rd Road Railway stations Avalon Airport Avalon passenger terminal Peak School Rd Minns Rd Old Melbourne Rd Peak School Rd Calvert Rd Mill Rd Plains Rd Hughes Rd Cherry Swamp Rd MELBOURNE – GEELONG RAIL LINE Forest Rd North PRINCES FWY Flinders Ave Windermere Rd Mill Rd McIntyre Rd Old Melbourne Rd Beach Rd Gillets Rd Beach Rd Lara Perkins Rd Airport Dr McClelland Ave PRINCES FWY TO GEELONG Pousties Rd Rennie St Forest Rd South Cozens Rd AVALON AIRPORT Avalon Rd PRINCES FWY Dandos Rd Avalon Rd 0 200 600 1000 Twenty Nine Mile Rd N Scale: Metres AVALON AIRPORT RAIL LINK: Planning assessment report 3 CORIO BAY Identification and assessment of rail link options Project objectives An objectives-based evaluation Geelong Rail Line methodology was applied during the planning study to assist in the examination and selection of Geelong Melbourne project options. The adopted project New connection New connection objectives are: to Geelong to Melbourne 1. Provide a corridor for a high standard, timely and cost effective public transport link for people travelling between Avalon Airport and both Melbourne and Geelong. 2. Support the development of Avalon Airport and help to secure its future as Melbourne’s second international airport. Avalon Airport 3. Support the integration of the rail link with existing and future Figure 2 Common rail configuration – the spur configuration requirements to facilitate access to social and economic opportunities. 4. Support the liveability of the • Flora and fauna • The Central and Eastern route region, having due regard to alignment options have similar and social, environmental and • Surface water lower biodiversity impacts, but the economic sustainability. • Ground conditions Western route alignment option has • Noise a major impact on the biodiversity Assessment of route • Landscape and visual amenity values in the area. alignment options • Social • All three route alignments • Economics and agriculture give conditional support to Three preliminary route alignment project objectives for Aboriginal • Cultural heritage options were identified. They are cultural heritage. the Eastern, Central and Western • Traffic and transport. route alignment options. The options It was determined that the Central have been assessed in detail against route alignment best represented the project objectives. Selection of the preferred option to be taken preferred option forward for further assessment and The investigations were completed by development of mitigation measures. specialists and consultants for a range Key findings of the assessments of issues defined to ensure a rigorous include the following: evaluation of the options. The issues • Assessments of route alignment investigated were: options against objectives • Railway and functional issues 1, 2 and 3 are relatively even. There is little to distinguish • Land use between the route alignments on the important considerations embodied in these objectives. AVALON AIRPORT RAIL LINK: Planning study findings and public exhibition 4 Preferred alignment Lara Little River N Avalon Airport Figure 3 Central Modified alignment Central Modified As a consequence, the alignment Land ownership Legend was adjusted to meet these alignmentStudy area considerations and presented and the process Central route alignment Following selection of the Central as the “Central Modified” alignment of reservation Existing Passenger Terminal for final assessment. route alignmentExpanded as Passengerthe preferred Terminal The area of private land proposed to option, the corridor was further The Central Modified alignment is be reserved for the rail link corridor is refined to take into account: shown in Figure 3. It is 5.6 km long, 33.33 ha, which will be introduced by • Environmental and other of which 1.0 km is within the airport amendment to the Greater Geelong inputs arising from the boundary. Provision has been made for Planning Scheme. options assessments, extension to a future airport terminal 1.4 km south of the current terminal. Protection of the land for the • Airport layout requirements as corridor within the airport will be by expressed in Avalon Airport’s The corridor varies from 34 to 95 a number of means including legal exhibited Draft Airport Master metres wide according to changes in agreement between the Victorian Plan (June 2013) and discussions grade and would cross three existing and Commonwealth Governments with the airport operator; and roads on bridge structures. The rail link and the Avalon Airport operator, • Confirmation of the rail is on embankment for approximately and inclusion of the rail link corridor design details and grade 75% of its length. in the airport master plan. separation requirements. AVALON AIRPORT RAIL LINK: Planning study findings and public exhibition 5 Assessment of the Ground conditions Social preferred alignment The preferred alignment, like The social and community all other route options, would investigations found that the Even though approval is not being encounter cost and potential Central Modified alignment would sought for the construction of the rail groundwater management issues support social opportunities, create link at this time, the proposed Central if constructed below grade. employment during construction, Modified alignment was subjected However, preliminary design work improve access to events at Avalon to further assessment to ensure that shows that an above ground