Airtrain negotiations back on after Bailey breakdown

1 week ago 8

On-again, off-again discussions betwixt the authorities authorities and Airtrain to extremity the backstage company’s monopoly connected nationalist transport to Brisbane Airport are connected again, with the transport curate confirming negotiations are backmost connected the table.

Brisbane Times revealed successful 2022 the authorities authorities was negotiating to bring Airtrain’s 35-year exclusivity agreement, signed by the Borbidge Liberal-National Coalition authorities successful 1998, to a premature end.

It costs $21.90 to drawback the Airtrain to Brisbane Airport from inner-city stations.

Those negotiations nether erstwhile transport curate Mark Bailey broke down successful November, but his successor Bart Mellish said connected Friday the taxable was – perchance – backmost connected the table.

“In presumption of the declaration itself – and getting retired of that declaration – it would person to beryllium a commercialized negotiation,” helium said.

“It wouldn’t beryllium the authorities needfully naming their terms and past that’s the terms that we pay.

“It would person to beryllium a commercialized discussion, a commercialized negotiation, truthful we’re having that discussion.

“But we’re besides having treatment astir what tin we bash to amended services. What tin we bash to trim fares? And what tin we bash to payment computers going to and from the airport?”

The 8.5-kilometre bid enactment was completed successful 2001 for astir $200 cardinal and, successful instrumentality for gathering the infrastructure, Airtrain got the committedness of 35 years’ worthy of fares.

Patronage ne'er lived up to anticipation and UK pension money Universities Superannuation Scheme bought Airtrain for $109 cardinal successful 2012.

But web changes owed to the instauration of Cross River Rail would effect in the nonaccomplishment of 1 of Airtrain’s selling points – a nonstop transportation to the Gold Coast.

That nexus not lone formed a large portion of Airtrain’s concern case, but was also, it was understood, portion of its declaration with the Queensland government.

That raised the imaginable of ineligible enactment against the government, which started the high-level negotiations to bring Airtrain into nationalist hands earlier the contract’s extremity date.

Critics constituent to the terms – $21.90 1 mode to and from Central Station – arsenic an impediment to patronage, with taxis and rideshares often a cheaper option, peculiarly for aggregate passengers.

Comment has been sought from Airtrain.