The first stage of Melbourne Airport Rail Link is now under construction, starting with a $4.1 billion rebuild of Sunshine
It only took 56 years, but construction on the Melbourne Airport Rail Link has officially started with work kicking off at Sunshine.
The federal and Victorian governments announced today that a $4.1 billion joint investment will completely rebuild the rail junction at Sunshine, laying the groundwork for a future direct train to Melbourne Airport. The Melbourne Airport Rail Link has been talked about in various forms since the airport opened in 1970, making it one of the longest-running infrastructure sagas in the country. Melbourne remains the only major capital city in Australia without a direct rail connection to its airport. Planning and community consultation for the Sunshine Superhub opened in mid-2025, and today’s announcement marks the official start of construction.
This first stage isn’t the airport line itself — it’s the critical groundwork. Six kilometres of new track, two rail bridges and a full realignment of passenger and freight lines between West Footscray and Albion will untangle one of Melbourne’s most congested rail corridors. The works will create space for future airport trains and electrified Melton services to run through the Metro Tunnel, while Sunshine Station gets a major expansion including a longer concourse and two new regional platforms. Early designs also show a 26-metre-high flyover between Sunshine and Albion as part of a future stage.
Melbourne Airport Rail Link – stage one
- What: $4.1 billion rebuild of the Sunshine rail corridor, the first stage of Melbourne Airport Rail
- Where: six-kilometre corridor between West Footscray and Albion
- Key works: six km of new track, two rail bridges, realigned passenger and freight lines, expanded Sunshine Station with two new regional platforms
- New stations: brand new Tottenham Station on the realigned Sunbury Line, plus a new fully accessible Albion Station
- Precinct upgrades: $143 million for walking and cycling links, a modern bus interchange and new open spaces around Sunshine
- Community input: locals can help shape the designs here
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The Victorian government is also investing $143 million to improve the precinct around Sunshine Station, which will include better walking and cycling connections, a new bus interchange and public open spaces. A brand new Tottenham Station will be built on the realigned Sunbury Line, with early designs expected in coming months and construction set to begin next year. A new Albion Station will also be delivered with modern, fully accessible facilities.
The Sunbury Line will be realigned to make way for airport rail and a future electrified Melton line, with signalling upgrades to support more frequent services. Once complete, Sunshine will connect regional V/Line services, Metro Tunnel trains and future airport services in a single interchange — effectively becoming one of the most connected stations in Melbourne’s west. The initial capacity works at Sunshine began in late 2024, with today’s announcement scaling up to the full $4.1 billion rebuild.
Airport rail timeline blowouts
The project was originally announced in 2018 with a target completion of 2029, but was paused in 2023 following a dispute between the Victorian government and Melbourne Airport over whether the airport station should be built above or below ground. That dispute was resolved in mid-2024 when the airport agreed to an elevated station.
The federal government has since committed $7 billion to the project overall, with the Victorian government contributing $5 billion. The full airport rail line — running 27 kilometres from Melbourne Airport to Town Hall via Sunshine and the Metro Tunnel — is now targeted for completion around 2033.
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