Bayswater residents are lobbying the WA Government for a major upgrade of their train station and its surrounds as part of its $2 billion Airport Rail Link project.

While the new spur line will start near the Bayswater town centre, the Government's plan does not include a substantial redevelopment of the existing train station or any increased parking.

Documents released by the Public Transport Authority reveal that under the project, changes to the Bayswater Station would be "limited to ensuring it is fully Disability and Discrimination Act compliant".

The documents also confirm parking at the station would continue to be short-term only and airport commuters would not be able to leave their vehicles there for long periods if travelling interstate or overseas.

Bayswater local Andrew Watt said while a new disabled ramp was welcomed, the lack of investment in the suburb under the Government's plan was a missed opportunity to revitalise the area, which is eight kilometres east of the city.

"We have a concern that the plan is no more really than a link to the airport and isn't generating the catalyst for the redevelopment of the Bayswater town site," he said.

"We think that there's been a lack of consideration of the important role that the Bayswater town centre, which has the train station at its heart, plays in relation to the economic and social development of the area."

The Airport Rail Link was a major Liberal Party election commitment and its planning is well underway.

The 8.5km link will branch off the existing Midland line near Bayswater station, tunnelling underground to the new consolidated Perth Airport terminal and then beyond to Forrestfield.

The project includes three new train stations and 3,000 parking bays but none of that infrastructure would benefit Bayswater.

Welcome for tourists needed: resident

Bayswater resident Kura Perkins said the existing station and parts of the town centre were run down and a revitalisation was needed to create the welcome needed for visiting interstate and overseas tourists.

"I just think it's a great shame," she said.

"Bayswater's got a lot of character....and it's got so much going on at the moment in terms of vibrant local businesses starting up and great families moving into the area.

"But I do feel a little concerned that international tourists arriving in WA, past the international airport, this is the first place they'll pop up (out of the tunnels) and see Perth and when I look around me I think there is a lot more that could have been done to make this a welcome point, to make this a point of arrival where these tourists go 'wow, we're here.'"

Local business owners support the project but are also concerned about the lack of investment in their town centre.

Pharmacist Greg Da Rui said he had been a business owner in the area for a long time and believed there was a massive opportunity to use the project to revitalise the area.

"I've been a bit concerned about the lack of consultation," he said.

"There's been presentations but really... none of the business owners were asked what they felt or for any input."

Parking not taken into account: business owners

There is already a shortage of parking at the Bayswater station, with many commuters forced to park on local streets during peak periods.

Local residents and business owners said the Government had failed to take into account the impact of the increased commuters using the area once the line opened.

Little Cheese Shop owner Geoff Hodder said he was disappointed that the interests of Bayswater appeared to have been put aside, with the focus simply on laying rail to Forrestfield.

"We could see the potential for what it could do, for what it can do for the City of Bayswater and the residents and the community," he said.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Dean Nalder said the Government was working with Bayswater Council to establish the immediate and long-term requirements for the station.

"Bayswater residents will benefit from a direct connection to the airport with a journey time of only a few minutes to the new consolidated airport station," she said.

"They will also benefit from more frequent services because trains for both the Midland and Forrestfield Lines will stop at their station.

"Parking is provided for commuters, not people travelling to the airport for holidays."

The Government expects to award the contract for the project by mid next year, with tunnelling to start in Forrestfield in 2017. The first trains are expected to be running on the line by 2020.