The Hon. Annabelle Cleeland, Nationals Member for Euroa, Media Release, 5 March 2026
The Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland MP, has raised concerns in State Parliament this week about the redevelopment of Sunshine Station, warning the current design risks locking north-east Victorian passengers out of one of the state’s most important transport interchanges.
Speaking in Parliament, Ms Cleeland called on the Minister for Public and Active Transport to redesign the plans so regional Victorians are not locked out of the new Sunshine transport hub.
Passengers travelling from north-east Victoria are set to be excluded from Melbourne’s new airport rail interchange, with trains on the Albury line expected to pass straight through Sunshine Station without the ability to stop.
“Trains from the north-east already run through Sunshine, yet under the current design passengers won’t be able to get off,” Ms Cleeland said.
“That means people from towns right across the Albury line will be forced to travel all the way into Southern Cross Station, only to turn around and come back out again just to reach Sunshine or the airport.
“They will literally travel past the station they need but won’t be able to get off.”
Ms Cleeland said the issue goes far beyond airport travel.
“People in the north-east regularly travel to Melbourne for specialist medical appointments, university, business and government services.
“This design means patients, families and carers will face longer and more complicated journeys for no good reason.
“It’s exactly the kind of planning decision that makes regional Victorians feel like the system simply isn’t built with them in mind.”
Ms Cleeland also raised concerns about the proposal to remove the Sunshine Regional Link crossovers, which currently help freight trains move efficiently between regional Victoria and the Port of Melbourne.
“If these crossovers are removed, freight operators will be pushed onto already congested corridors and forced to travel an additional 47 kilometres just to reach the port,” she said.
“When rail becomes slower and more expensive, more freight ends up on trucks. That means more heavy vehicles on our roads and more pressure on regional infrastructure.”
Ms Cleeland said the design flaws highlight a broader problem with major transport projects that overlook regional connectivity.
“We are spending billions of dollars on this redevelopment, yet regional passengers on the Albury line will still be forced into longer and more complicated journeys,” she said.
“Regional Victorians should not have to travel past the station they need just to access the state’s biggest transport hub.
“If Sunshine is going to be the major interchange for Victoria, then it needs to work for the whole state, including the people of north-east Victoria.”
