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Airport Link, Sydney

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Template:Public transport infrastructure in Sydney The Airport Link is a railway line in Sydney, Australia connecting Kingsford Smith Airport with Central Station. The 10-km line, originally called the New Southern Railway, was completed in 2000 and today forms part of CityRail's Airport & East Hills (Green) Line. Four stations on the line were constructed by the Airport Link Company as part of a public private partnership (PPP).

The New South Wales Government spent around $700 million on the project. The Airport Link Company spent over $200 million.

Stations are located at Central, Green Square, Mascot, Domestic Terminal, International Terminal and Wolli Creek.

Operation

Operationally, the Airport Link is part of the suburban Airport & East Hills line. For most of the day, trains depart from Airport Link stations in both directions every 10 minutes. The journey from the airport to the city takes around 10-15 minutes. The line is serviced by CityRail C, R, S, T and M set trains.

The Airport Link Company's concession to operate the stations extends to 2030, at which time the NSW Government has the option to reclaim the assets. CityRail is obliged to meet certain reliability, service level and patronage targets to ensure the stations' viability.

Alignment

The Airport Link includes a 4-km rock tunnel and a 6-km soft ground tunnel.

For most of its length, the line is in tunnel. The Airport Link runs south from platform 23 at Central station across a viaduct to the tunnel portal beneath Prince Alfred Park near Chalmers Street. The tunnel roughly follows Pitt Street underneath the suburbs of Redfern and Waterloo. At Green Square station, beneath the intersection of Botany Road, Bourke Road and O'Riordan Street, the line continues beneath Bourke Road to Mascot station, a block south of Gardeners Road.

From Mascot, the line roughly follows O'Riordan Street before turning sharply to the west once underneath Kingsford Smith Airport. The line runs westward under the Domestic terminal and the International terminal before continuing north-west underneath the Cooks River to reach the surface at Wolli Creek. At Wolli Creek, the Airport Link joins the East Hills line.

The line is two tracks for its entire length.

Stations

Green Square station.
Mascot station.
International station.
Wolli Creek station.

The stations at Green Square, Mascot, Domestic and International date from 2000 and are built in a modernist style.

Central

Main article: Central railway station, Sydney

Services to and from the Airport Link use Central station platforms 20, 21, 22 and 23. These platforms were constructed in 1926. A proposal to bring platforms 26 and 27 into use for Airport services did not proceed.

Green Square

Green Square station, opened in 2000, is located at the intersection of Botany Road, Bourke Road and O'Riordan Street, in the suburb of Zetland. The station consists of four levels, of which the lower two, the platforms and station concourse, are in use. The area is predominantly light industrial, with a small amount of high density residential development. Green Square station is at the centre of a mooted "Green Square Town Centre" project that would see much of the area given over to high-density residential and commercial development.

The station is owned and operated by the Airport Link Company. Passengers must pay an access fee ("GatePass") on top of the CityRail train fare to enter or exit the network at this station. The station is accessible by disabled passengers and is generally staffed.

Mascot

Mascot station opened in 2000. Located on Bourke Street, the station serves the surrounding, predominantly industrial, suburb of Mascot. Since nearby Kingsford Smith Airport is colloquially referred to as "Mascot", station signage refers to the stop as "Mascot Suburban". The station is not located in Mascot's main shopping area on O'Riordan Street.

The station is owned and operated by the Airport Link Company. Passengers must pay an access fee ("GatePass") on top of the CityRail train fare to enter or exit the network at this station. The station is accessible by disabled passengers and is generally staffed.

Domestic

Domestic station (also known as Domestic Terminal and Domestic Airport), opened in 2000. The station, located beneath a carpark at the corner of Keith Smith Avenue at 7th Street, is connected to terminals T2 and T3 via a pedestrian subway. Larger lifts and wider ticket barriers are installed to cater for passengers with baggage.

The station is owned and operated by the Airport Link Company. Passengers must pay an access fee ("GatePass")—higher than that charged at Mascot and Green Square—on top of the CityRail train fare to enter or exit the network at this station. The station is accessible by disabled passengers and is generally staffed.

International

International station (also known as International Terminal and International Airport), opened in 2000. The station is located beneath a carpark to the west of terminal T1 and connects to it via a pedestrian subway. Larger lifts and wider ticket barriers are installed to cater for passengers with baggage.

The station is owned and operated by the Airport Link Company. Passengers must pay an access fee ("GatePass")—higher than that charged at Mascot and Green Square—on top of the CityRail train fare to enter or exit the network at this station. The station is accessible by disabled passengers and is generally staffed.

Wolli Creek

Originally added to CityRail maps as "North Arncliffe", Wolli Creek station takes its name from a nearby tributary of the Cooks River. Since the station's construction in 2000, a high-density residential development, called Discovery Point, has grown around it. "Wolli Creek" was declared a suburb in 2002.

Wolli Creek station serves the Airport & East Hills line on platforms 1 and 2, and the Illawarra and South Coast lines on platforms 3 and 4.

Though located outdoors, platforms 1 and 2 are below the surrounding surface level adjacent to the tunnel portal. Platforms 3 and 4 are constructed at surface level.

The station is owned and operated by CityRail. The station is accessible by disabled passengers and is generally staffed.

History

Construction on the New Southern Railway, as it was originally called, began in 1995 with a view to improving facilities for air travellers ahead of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. At the time, the main public transport link between the city and its airport was an express bus service, the 300 Airport Express.

Faced with the significant costs of building Olympic venues, the then Fahey Liberal government sought to reduce the costs of the new railway by entering into a public private partnership to build the line. Under the deal, the Government of New South Wales would pay to build the line, while a private company, Airport Link, would pay to build and operate the stations. The company's involvement was predicated on passenger estimates and train reliability guarantees that later proved to be optimistic.

A major criticism of the line was that it is not served by dedicated rolling stock, as in some other cities. Travellers entering the line at Domestic and International must compete for space with commuters from the East Hills line, and find that the trains have no special provision for their luggage.

The line opened on 21 May 2000, three months ahead of the Olympic Games.

Despite the cancellation of the rival Airport Express bus service, taxi surcharges and expensive airport parking, the Airport Link has consistently failed to meet patronage targets. In 2000, the Airport Link Company went into receivership, exposing the government to costs of around $800 million. So far, the state has refused its request to buy back the Airport Link stations. Together with the troubled Cross City Tunnel, the Airport Link has served to dampen government and business enthusiasm for further public private partnerships in transport.

Less than a year after the line opened, the State Rail Authority complained that "Patronage has been lower than expected to date," but remained optimistic. "We believe that as airport users become more familiar with this facility and the ingrained habits of many years gradually alter, patronage will continue to increase," the authority's 1999-2000 Annual Report said. (p4) The following year, the Airport Link Company went into receivership. State Rail blamed "lower than expected patronage" and claimed to be working with the company to increase it.

In October 2005, the government and the company signed a revised agreement on revenue and patronage, settling the latter's claims against the former. The government paid $34 million to the company that year, with another $73 million due as CityRail earns revenue from Airport Line business. (p 59, 81)

References

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