Site investigations, procurement and development work on the 7.4-kilometre Stage 2 section of Melbourne Airport Rail are set to start within weeks, keeping the new Albion–Keilor East segment on track for a 2031 opening.

The Stage 2 package adds a station at Keilor East with a bus interchange and car park. Once the full airport link is operational, the station is expected to serve around 5,200 passengers a day.

What does Stage 2 actually build?

The works include:

• 1.1 km of elevated railway near Albion
• A new bridge over the Maribyrnong River for airport trains
• High-capacity signalling to support frequent airport services

The bridge carries airport services across the Maribyrnong on the approach to the airport precinct. The elevated section near Albion lifts the new tracks clear of the existing suburban corridor.

When does each phase land?

Community engagement on Stage 2 is planned for 2027, with major construction due in 2028. Revenue service on the Keilor East segment is scheduled for 2031.

Stage 1 runs in parallel and is already under construction, with completion due in 2030 — a year ahead of Stage 2 services. That package upgrades 6 km of track between West Footscray and Albion and rebuilds Sunshine Station with six platforms, sized to accommodate future airport services and trains to Melton.

How does Sunshine fit in?

Sunshine sits as the planned interchange where regional, suburban and airport services converge on Melbourne's western corridor. Six platforms give operators space to handle airport shuttles, planned Melton trains and through-running suburban services without the pinch points of the current four-platform layout.

The Stage 1 track upgrade between West Footscray and Albion supplies the approach tracks needed to feed that interchange at the head of the new Albion-to-airport corridor.

What service outcomes does the design target?

High-capacity signalling on Stage 2 supports the frequent airport services the link is being designed around. The Keilor East daily forecast of 5,200 passengers reflects a feeder-and-park role: bus interchange, drop-off traffic and parked cars, then a transfer to the airport service.

The bridge and elevated sections cut conflict with road and existing rail movements, lifting on-time running potential for both airport and suburban services on the shared Albion corridor.

What to watch next

Key milestones ahead are contract awards for the elevated section, the Maribyrnong bridge and the Keilor East station, followed by the 2027 community engagement round that will set the urban design envelope around the new station precinct. Procurement starting in late 2026 keeps the 2031 opening date in reach, but any slippage on the parallel Stage 1 works — due to finish in 2030 — would cascade into the Stage 2 timeline.