Sydney’s second airport will not have the passenger numbers to justify a rail connection from day one, but the site will be built with a future rail line in mind, federal infrastructure minister Warren Truss has said.
Truss announced Badgerys Creek in Sydney’s west had been officially declared an airport site on August 26.
“The airport will be a game changer for the region, New South Wales and the national economy,” he said. “It will connect Western Sydney with the rest of the world and deliver tens of thousands of jobs through both construction and long-term operation, returning around $24 billion to the economy.”
Despite all that contribution, Truss – who is also the deputy prime minister – insists the airport will not need a train station connecting passengers to the CBD from day one.
“With the initial expectations of the number of passengers in the early years we don’t anticipate that a railway line just servicing the airport would be commercially viable,” the minister told reporters gathered at the future airport site. “As time goes by passenger numbers will grow and then clearly that access will be required.”
Truss said the government will build Badgerys Creek Airport with a retrofitted rail line in mind.
“A route has to be established that essentially crosses right across the airport site, so it’s a significant issue in the design of the airport, the runways and the buildings on this site,” he explained. “We’re talking with the New South Wales Government about rail access to this site … those discussions have been going on for some time.”
The airport will be built with tunnels and space for the train station already on site, at an additional cost of between $400 and $500 million, Truss said.
“I’m aware that retrofitting costs money, so the intention is to make sure that sufficient is done now at least so that the railway can be simply fitted at a later stage,” the minister reasoned.
“What I think is more important is a passenger rail line to service the people in the industries that live and work in this area, and therefore the interests of the airport and the interests of the local community hopefully will build sufficient demand for that railway line to be a viable proposition, and we’ll continue to talk with New South Wales about how quickly a rail service can be provided to this site.”
The government has been slammed by the Opposition and the rail industry for not building a rail line to the airport to operate from day one.
“Tony Abbott’s support for an airport to be built in Western Sydney without a link to the rail network is absurd,” shadow transport minister Anthony Albanese said in March. “It’s no shock that [NSW Premier] Mike [Baird] hasn’t come out against his mate Tony.
“Badgerys Creek is a greenfield site, providing the perfect opportunity for state and federal governments to work together and build the airport and associated infrastructure properly.”
Acting Australasian Railway Association chief operating officer Phil Allan earlier in August called the omission of a rail line a “blunder”.
“The rail option needs to be there from the start,” Allan opined.
“We are very supportive of the construction of a second airport … What we cannot support is the construction of such an important transport hub without the necessary public transport infrastructure links required that will enable people to move in and out of the airport efficiently, safely and sustainably.”
His sentiments were similar to those expressed by Paul Bredereck, managing director of regional airline Jetgo, to Fairfax earlier this month.
Bredereck reportedly labelled plans to build an airport with no rail link “small league”.
“For God’s sake, it is a major international airport and no express rail service to the CBD?” Brederick was quoted. “In the last few weeks I have driven from Bankstown to Sydney Airport. It is not a pleasant experience. Buses from Badgerys Creek to the CBD? Who are you kidding?”
One of the Australian aviation industry’s most influential figures – Qantas boss Alan Joyce – however, was not as alarmed at the plans.
“The last thing we want to do is to add cost burdens on these things that are not justified,” Joyce was quoted as saying by Fairfax.
The Qantas chief executive reportedly believes what Truss is saying: low passenger figures in the early years of the airport’s operation mean a train line won’t be needed.
Joyce added it was important for a major infrastructure project not to be “overdeveloped from day one”.
“You don’t want to build an infrastructure facility that can carry 100 million people from day one but … have only 2 or 3 million people using the facility and you’re paying for that,” Joyce was quoted.
“It’s not good for the airlines, it’s not good for the taxpayer, it’s not good for anybody developing it.”