Brisbane Lord Mayor and airport chief call for Airtrain reform as contract nears end

Speaking at a BNE Enterprise business breakfast on Thursday, both leaders lamented the 35-year exclusive contract that gives Airtrain a monopoly on public transport to the airport terminals. Under the terms of the deal, the UK-based Universities Superannuation Scheme-owned Airtrain charges a fare of $23.30 from Central Station, while it offered discounted weekly tickets for airport precinct workers for $48. Assuming a five-day working week, those workers would pay $5 a week if Airtrain were part of the 50¢ Translink fare scheme operating elsewhere on the network.

The Airtrain concession, acquired by a USS subsidiary in 2013, expires on May 5, 2036. After that date, the Airport line will be subject to the same fares as the rest of the region's train network.

Schrinner said the problem was that the service primarily serves visitors, while the airport precinct is a growing employment hub. He said possible solutions include extending Brisbane Metro services to the airport or adding new stations to the Airtrain line to accommodate workers. Brisbane Airport sought a new station at Skygate, near the DFO complex, more than a decade ago, but those efforts have not yet succeeded. The terms of the Airtrain contract would allow a new station to be built on the rail viaduct as part of the Queensland Rail network.

De Graaff said more than 25,000 people work in the airport precinct each day, a number expected to double within two decades, and that he was in constant dialogue with the state government about modifying the concession to reduce fares and allow metro services, including to the planned Terminal 3. He said he could not say he was confident a solution would be reached before the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but hoped one would be found.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said the state government would welcome investment from either the council or Brisbane Airport to build a new station at Skygate, adding that the Department of Transport and Main Roads continues to work with Airtrain and the airport to support public transport needs.

Airtrain, whose chief executive Chris Basche was in the audience, declined to comment. Schrinner acknowledged that without the public-private partnership the service would not exist, but said circumstances had changed since the deal was struck in 1998. “It’s a completely different place,” he said. “There is an understanding that there has to be return on that investment, and I agree. But what is the best outcome for Brisbane and Queensland? Is it the current arrangement or is it a modified arrangement?”