Ben Carroll says decisions about airport rail are personal. That is a problem

October 1, 2026 — 5:00am

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Four years ago, as Victoria was heading into a state election, then public transport minister Ben Carroll announced that work would soon start on a long-promised rail line to the airport, with a new station at Keilor East by 2028.

On Wednesday, with Victoria heading into a state election, now Premier Ben Carroll stood next to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to announce that work would soon start on a long-promised rail line to the airport, with a new station at Keilor East by 2031.

Apparently, this is what progress looks like in Victoria.

It is also what pork barrelling looks like, when done on a multibillion-dollar scale.

Keilor East is a well-established suburb in Melbourne’s north-west which sits in the middle of Carroll’s marginal electorate of Niddrie. It is not a particularly fast-growing suburb. It is an ageing community. It is not high on anyone’s list of Melbourne suburbs most in need of a new train station.

The only person in government who thinks building a new station in Keilor East should be a priority is Carroll, who needs residents of Keilor East and neighbouring suburbs to vote for him in sufficient numbers on November 28 to retain his seat.

The original business case for the Melbourne Airport Rail Link (MARL) considered but did not recommend building a new station in Keilor East. It concluded the additional cost and travel time between the airport and city were not justified by the projected, “low........

© The Age