A community movement
to get the west moving
Tell your political leaders to build the Melbourne Airport Rail before the third runway
About
To transform Melbourne’s west into the thriving region Victoria needs it to be, we’re calling on the Federal and State Governments to build the long-promised Melbourne Airport Rail before the third runway.
Despite being one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Melbourne’s west has been short-changed in government infrastructure funding. To keep up with its rapid population growth, urgent infrastructure projects such as Melbourne Airport Rail and the development of the Sunshine Precinct must be delivered now.
The airport rail project will provide a cost-effective, time-efficient and sustainable public transport alternative for all. Developing Sunshine as a precinct and delivering the Sunshine Station Masterplan will stimulate the economy in the west through tourism, education, housing, shopping and business growth.
Despite many government promises over many years, there’s been next to no progress – no start dates, no certainty, leaving Melbourne’s west waiting.
With Melbourne Airport’s third runway opening in 2031, we can expect the already congested Tullamarine Freeway to be gridlocked.
To show the government we are serious about getting the west moving we’re launching the Rail Before Runway movement – and you can help by sending letters to State and Federal political leaders.
Support our call for urgent action and choose rail before runway.
Get Involved
Send a letter to our leaders and tell them how Melbourne’s west deserves better, and it starts with building the Melbourne Airport Rail before the third runway.
Write to the Prime Minister and Premier
Step 1: Copy the template to the clipboard
Dear Prime Minister Albanese and Premier Allan,
As a resident in Melbourne’s west, I write to express my concern regarding the ongoing delays to the construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail and the development of the Sunshine Precinct.
Melbourne’s west has had enough of being one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia. Generations of grave under-investment from Governments has resulted in traffic congestion, inadequate transport, unsafe road connections, high unemployment, and insufficient community infrastructure. It’s time to right the wrongs of the past and provide the urgent investment we need to transform Melbourne’s west and deliver intergenerational change.
While I acknowledge the Federal Government’s recent announcement of an additional $2 billion towards transforming Sunshine Station as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project, I am calling for the Federal and State Governments to work in partnership to expedite the delivery of the Melbourne Airport Rail project to ensure it opens before Melbourne’s third runway in 2031.
I ask that both governments ensure the Melbourne Airport Rail project achieves meaningful outcomes that benefit our broader community, not just commuters. This includes:
- the full delivery of the Sunshine Station Masterplan – a catalyst for transformation of Melbourne’s west,
- the development of the three State Government-owned sites (Station Place, Sun Crescent and Southern Village) to provide urgently needed housing and job opportunities,
- the rebuild of Albion Station incorporating improved and safer commuter access from either side of Ballarat Road, and
- the delivery of the East Keilor Train Station.
For decades now, the construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail has been considered by successive governments; it was finally announced as a joint commitment by both the Federal and State Governments in 2018. However, despite a number of funding promises, project works are yet to commence. In 2024, an independent mediator recommended that government should “continue works at Sunshine Station to transform this into the major transport hub it was planned to be,” yet the million people who live in the west are still waiting on a start date.
The current infrastructure delays have created uncertainty in the west’s investment market, obstructing economic development across the region. By fast-tracking the Melbourne Airport Rail, the Federal and State Governments can send a strong signal to the development market – driving the transformation of Melbourne’s west, including the Sunshine CBD and the 44-hectare Albion Quarter urban renewal precinct. This is a catalytic opportunity to reposition Sunshine as a key visitor economy hub.
The Sunshine CBD is strategically located in the heart of Melbourne’s west, less than 15 km from the Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Airport. The Sunshine Precinct is included on Infrastructure Australia’s list of priority projects with an abundance of land ready for residential and commercial development.
The State Government has identified Sunshine as the centre of Melbourne’s booming west and a key economic hub, with the capacity to create 29,000 jobs and attract 43,000 new residents by 2051.
It is critical that works start now, to ensure the Melbourne Airport Rail and the Sunshine Precinct are delivered in time to service the many thousands of people commuting to and from the west.
I urge the Federal and State Governments to set clear timelines for these projects and urgently prioritise the delivery of the projects in full. This transformation investment is the Government’s one opportunity to unlock the full potential of Melbourne’s west to benefit communities near and far, now and for generations to come.
Step 2: Click the button below for a template email to the Prime Minister* and Premier to open in your default email service. Paste the template and add your name to the bottom of the email and it's ready for you to send.
*All correspondence to the Prime Minister will be received, collated and sent on your behalf to his office by Brimbank’s City Council
Write to the Federal Opposition Leader
Step 1: Copy the template to the clipboard
Dear Mr Dutton,
As a resident in Melbourne’s west, I write to express my concern regarding the ongoing delays to the construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail and the development of the Sunshine Precinct.
Melbourne’s west has had enough of being one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia. Generations of grave under-investment from Governments has resulted in traffic congestion, inadequate transport, unsafe road connections, high unemployment, and insufficient community infrastructure. It’s time to right the wrongs of the past and provide the urgent investment we need to transform Melbourne’s west and deliver intergenerational change.
Ahead of the 2025 Federal Election, I am calling for your commitment to prioritise the delivery of the Melbourne Airport Rail project to ensure it opens before Melbourne’s third runway in 2031.
Should you be elected as Prime Minister, I ask that you ensure the Melbourne Airport Rail project achieves meaningful outcomes that benefit our broader community, not just commuters. This includes:
- the full delivery of the Sunshine Station Masterplan – a catalyst for transformation of Melbourne’s west,
- the development of the three State Government-owned sites (Station Place, Sun Crescent and Southern Village) to provide urgently needed housing and job opportunities,
- the rebuild of Albion Station incorporating improved and safer commuter access from either side of Ballarat Road, and
- the delivery of the East Keilor Train Station.
For decades now, the construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail has been considered by successive governments; it was finally announced as a joint commitment by both the Federal and State Governments in 2018. However, despite a number of funding commitments, project works are yet to commence. In 2024, an independent mediator recommended that government should “continue works at Sunshine Station to transform this into the major transport hub it was planned to be,” yet the million people who live in the west are still waiting on a start date.
The current infrastructure delays have created uncertainty in the west’s investment market, obstructing economic development across the region. By fast-tracking the Melbourne Airport Rail, the Federal and State Governments can send a strong signal to the development market – driving the transformation of Melbourne’s west, including the Sunshine CBD and the 44-hectare Albion Quarter urban renewal precinct. This is a catalytic opportunity to reposition Sunshine as a key visitor economy hub.
The Sunshine CBD is strategically located in the heart of Melbourne’s west, less than 15 km from the Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Airport. The Sunshine Precinct is included on Infrastructure Australia’s list of priority projects with an abundance of land ready for residential and commercial development.
The State Government has identified Sunshine as the centre of Melbourne’s booming west and a key economic hub, with the capacity to create 29,000 jobs and attract 43,000 new residents by 2051.
It is critical that works start now, to ensure the Melbourne Airport Rail and the Sunshine Precinct are delivered in time to service the many thousands of people commuting to and from the west.
I seek clear timelines for these projects and the urgent delivery of the projects in full. This transformation investment is the Government’s one opportunity to unlock the full potential of Melbourne’s west to benefit communities near and far, now and for generations to come.
Step 2: Click the button below for a template email to the opposition leader to open in your default email service. Paste the template and add your name to the bottom of the email and it's ready for you to send.
News, media & resources
The story behind the Rail Before Runway movement
About ‘Transforming Brimbank’
Launched in April 2021, Transforming Brimbank advocates for the timely construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail (MAR) coupled with the development of the Sunshine Precinct, consisting of Sunshine Station, the Sunshine CBD and the Albion Quarter.
The ‘Rail Before Runway’ movement
The Rail before Runway movement empowers the community to have their needs heard by calling on the State and Federal Government to fund and fast-track the construction of Melbourne Airport Rail and the development of the Sunshine Precinct.
Brimbank City Council invites members of the wider Victorian community to write to our political leaders urging them to fast-track the construction of Melbourne Airport Rail and the development of the Sunshine Precinct as projects that are not only necessary for Melbourne’s west, but for the entire nation.
The ‘Rail before Runway’ movement emphasises that despite Melbourne’s west being promised a Melbourne Airport Rail for so many years, this is unacceptable, especially with the third runway scheduled to open by 2031, at least two years before the completion of the Melbourne Airport Rail. This additional runway will result in more airline passengers and airport staff. In the absence of an airport rail, traffic congestion on the already busy road network in Melbourne’s west will become gridlocked.
Invest in the West – It’s a necessity
Investment in both Melbourne Airport Rail and the Sunshine Precinct is urgently required to unlock one of Melbourne’s largest urban renewal precincts and along with it, up to $8 billion in private economic development opportunities, which will in turn attract new residents, businesses, creative industries, and tourists to Melbourne’s west.
The investment in the Sunshine Precinct and Melbourne Airport Rail will play a significant role in breaking the region’s cycle of inter-generational disadvantage and challenges such as high unemployment, traffic congestion and a lack of transport options, including active transport such as pedestrian and cycling links.
Fast Track Melbourne Airport Rail
By fast-tracking the Melbourne Airport Rail, the Federal and State Governments can send a strong signal to the development market – driving the transformation of Melbourne’s west, including the Sunshine CBD and the Albion Quarter urban renewal precinct. This is a catalytic opportunity to reposition Sunshine as a key visitor economy hub, with an abundance of land ready for residential and commercial development.
Develop the Sunshine Precinct
The Sunshine Precinct is also the only location in Melbourne to be declared a Metropolitan Activity Centre, a National Employment and Innovation Centre, a Priority Precinct and a Transport Super Hub, and has been added to Infrastructure Australia’s priority list of projects. The Sunshine Station Masterplan outlines development priorities at a state level and will play a key part in unlocking the job and housing growth in the Sunshine CBD.
Sunshine is well placed to be the center of Melbourne’s booming west and a key economic hub, with the capacity for an additional 29,000 jobs and 43,000 new residents by 2051. Sunshine is widely touted as one of Melbourne’s second CBDs (Second CBD: What Sunshine needs to become Melbourne’s secondary city).
Time to deliver on the promises of the past
The State Government made several significant promises ahead of the 2022 State Election, including:
- a new train station in Keilor East, and the Melbourne Airport Rail
- $80 million to rebuild Albion Station
- the release of the Sunshine Station Masterplan along with $143 million to implement the first stage of the Master plan.
However, despite a multitude of promises, including a $63.5 million joint funding announcement by the State and Federal Government late last year, these critical infrastructure projects have been unacceptably delayed until 2033.
Combined with increased traffic congestion, ineffective public transport, and lack of connectivity in and out of the western suburbs, ongoing uncertainty in the region’s investment market is obstructing economic development.
A community movement to get the west moving
On 14 September 2023, the apolitical advocacy group Committee for Melbourne released a strong policy position to support fast-tracking the Melbourne Airport Rail (Melbourne Airport Rail – policy brief | Committee For Melbourne). This was followed by a survey reported in The Age on 18 July 2024 showing strong community support for Melbourne Airport Rail over other rail projects (Survey says Melburnians want airport rail, more buses before the Suburban Rail Loop).
The approval of Melbourne Airport’s third runway by the Federal Government in September 2024 with the expected completion date of 2031 has only heightened community concerns around the severe limitations of current infrastructure and its inability to cope with further, significant increases in traffic Melbourne Airport third runway | Ministers for the Department of Infrastructure.
Rail Before Runway timeline
Date | Event |
April 2021 | Brimbank City Council first launched our Transforming Brimbank campaign, along with the release of the Sunshine Priority Precinct Vision 2050. |
Oct 2021 | As part of the Transforming Brimbank campaign, Council publishes the ‘Let’s Build it Better Together’ advocacy priorities. |
Nov 2021 | State Government releases Sunshine Precinct Opportunity Statement. |
Aug 2022 | The Sunshine Precinct is added to Infrastructure Australia’s list of Priority Precincts. |
Oct 2022 | State Government commits $80 million to rebuild Albion Station. |
Oct 2022 | State Government releases the Sunshine Station Masterplan accompanied with a $143.5 million commitment to deliver the first stage of this Masterplan. |
May 2023 | Federal Government announces a review of the Infrastructure Investment Program including the Melbourne Airport Rail. |
Nov 2023 | Federal Government reconfirms its commitment to fund $5 billion towards the construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail. |
May 2024 | Former State Treasurer, Tim Pallas announces the Melbourne Airport Rail to be delayed by four years to 2033. All works stop. |
June 2024 | Federal appointed mediator recommends Melbourne Airport Rail be built above-ground and that ‘no regrets’ work continue to transform Sunshine Station into a precinct. |
July 2024 | Melbourne Airport agrees for airport station to be built above-ground. |
Sep 2024 | Melbourne Airport’s third runway approved to be operational by 2031, subject to noise mitigation measures. |
Sep 2024 | Federal and State Governments jointly announce $63.5 million for planning and design works to rebuild Sunshine Station, and unlock capacity for future upgrades in the west, including preparation for the Melbourne Airport Rail. |
Feb 2025 | Federal Government announces an additional $2 billion of funding towards transforming Sunshine Station as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail project. |
In the news
- 21 March 2025: Council applauds agreement to get Melbourne Airport Rail back on track
- 5 March 2025: Brimbank welcomes Melbourne Airport Rail and Sunshine Station funding
- 13 Feb 2025: Brimbank Councillors Call for ‘Rail before Runway’
- 16 January 2025: Brimbank Council lodges application for merits review of Third Runway decision
- 28 October 2024: Council welcomes works at Sunshine Station
- 9 July 2024: Welcome airport compromise on above-ground train station removes hurdle to rail link
- 28 June 2024: Time to get the Melbourne Airport Rail built
- 16 May 2024: State budget stalls on progress
- 26 January 2024: Media release – Brimbank Council targets state and federal 2024-25 budgets
- 26 January 2024: Media release – Brimbank stands to lose in Federal Budget | Brimbank
- 26 January 2024: Media release – Brimbank welcomes progress on the Melbourne Airport Rail project
- 28 February 2023: Media release – Sunshine poised to become powerhouse of Melbourne’s west
- 28 February 2023: Council welcomes new build for Albion Station
- 28 February 2023: Mayors call on Government to commit to new station in Melbourne’s west
- 19 April 2022: Media release – Sunshine poised to become powerhouse of Melbourne’s west