Canberra Airport has unveiled plans to build a A$140 million high-speed rail facility next to its new airport terminal, in a bid to transform the gateway into a multi-modal hub and eliminate the need for a second Sydney airport.
According to a federal government study, a high speed rail link between the two cities would be cheaper than a second airport (with costs forecast at $10.9 billion), with the train journey lasting under an hour.
To support the high-speed rail link, Canberra Airport has unveiled plans for a multi-modal Airport facility, integrating the high-speed railway into Canberra Airport. The terminal is planned to be fully integrated into the aviation terminal, allowing for a seamless transition between the two modes of transport. The train platform itself will be elevated and built at the same level as the airline check-in desks and the aerobridges for direct boarding of aircraft, allowing passengers to transfer from arriving aircraft to train in under five minutes without baggage.
This project aims to make Canberra Airport a multi-modal hub for high-speed rail, domestic and international airlines, regional and local buses and onsite car parking.