Airport railway line, Brisbane

Airport line
Website	airtrain.com.au
Operation
Opened	5 May 2001 (2001-05-05)
Technical
Line length	0 km (0 mi)
Track length	15.9 km (9.9 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge
Operating speed	0 km/h (0 mph)

Airtrain is the privately owned commuter railway line that extends 13.0 km (8.1 mi) northeast from Brisbane (15.9 km from Central station by rail), the state capital of Queensland, Australia, to the Brisbane Airport at both its separate International and Domestic terminals.

The line is carried on an elevated prestressed concrete viaduct for its entire 8.5 km (5.3 mi) length after leaving the QR Citytrain network beyond Eagle Junction railway station at Clayfield.

Ownership and business

The Airtrain service is a private enterprise. The line is owned and operated by Airtrain Citylink Limited, with financial backing from Transfield Services, Macquarie Bank, Colonial First State and ABN AMRO. The first service ran on 5 May 2001. Airtrain Citylink has a license from Queensland Transport under a BOOT scheme – build, own, operate and transfer – to build the rail line, to own and operate it, and hand entire infrastructure over to the Queensland Government after 35 years when the company will then cease to exist.

The line connects seamlessly with the Citytrain network and services use Citytrain rolling stock in a commercial agreement with QR. While Citytrain rolling stock is used, Airtrain does not form part of the TransLink integrated public transport scheme, and therefore fares are not subsidised by the government. As a result, travel to the airport from Citytrain stations in the Brisbane central business district costs $14.50 one way (as of July 2009). Travel on Airtrain services between ordinary Citytrain stations, not involving airport travel, is charged at the normal Citytrain rate, including concession rates.

Initial passenger numbers on the service were well below expectations and the company nearly faced voluntary administration in 2003. However in May 2005, Airtrain operated at a profit for the first time due to significant passenger growth – 1.12 million passengers in the 2004-2005 financial year, an increase of 40% – and a complex company restructure that cut costs by nearly half.

In 2008, Brisbane's Airtrain ran an operating profit of $4.8 million, allowing Airtrain to pay dividends of $1.95 to its shareholders. Airtain is not subsidised by the Queensland Government, and its $220 million construction cost was entirely privately financed. This makes it one of a few known profitable public transport systems. Passenger numbers on the service have also steadily increased, approaching two million passengers each year using the private rail link.

Line guide and services

Commencing at the Domestic Terminal, all services stop at the International Terminal and Eagle Junction railway station, then express to Bowen Hills, then all stations though the Brisbane CBD to at least Roma Street. The typical travel time between Domestic Terminal and Brisbane City is approximately 22 minutes (to Central). This travel time results in an average train speed of 43 km/h.

Airport line services run every fifteen minutes during the morning and afternoon weekday peak hours, and every half hour during the off-peak. Most services continue as Gold Coast line services.

Passengers for/from the Doomben, Caboolture and Shorncliffe lines change at Eagle Junction, Ferny Grove and Nambour and Gympie North lines at Bowen Hills, and all other lines at Central.

Airport railway line, Brisbane showing distance from Central, ticket zone, and connecting or nearby bus services

Beenleigh, Cleveland, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Rosewood, Tennyson lines Exhibition line 0.8 km Roma Street(1) See Roma Street railway station 0.0 km Central(1) See Adelaide Street Bus Mall 1.3 km Fortitude Valley(1) See Fortitude Valley railway station Exhibition line 2.7 km Bowen Hills(1) 301, 310, 315, 320, 393 Inner City Bypass Ferny Grove line Breakfast Creek Albion Wooloowin 6.5 km Eagle Junction(2) 303, 304, 320, 321 Doomben line Caboolture, Nambour and Gympie North, Shorncliffe lines Gateway Motorway Airport Drive 14.4 km International Terminal(–) 15.9 km DOMESTIC TERMINAL(–)

Expansion

There are no plans to construct a new station over Airport Drive near the DFO complex due to the considerable cost associated with building an elevated station above Airport Drive and beside an operating rail line. The forecasted population in this precinct would not sustain the costs of operating a station.

Gallery

• 

  IMU 104 at the Domestic Terminal railway station, bound for the Gold Coast

• 

  IMU 109 at International Terminal railway station

• 

  IMU 105 at the Domestic station

• 

  An IMU at Domestic station

• 

  Domestic station as seen from outside the Domestic Terminal

See also

• Citytrain
• TransLink

External links

• Airtrain
• Citytrain
• TransLink