The federal infrastructure, transport and regional development minister, Catherine King, has announced that the rail link has entered its two-year development phase, after which it should be ready for construction to begin.
The Sydney to Newcastle transport project is part of a wider aspiration to link Brisbane to Melbourne via high-speed rail, with stops in regional Queensland and northern NSW, Newcastle, the Central Coast, Sydney, Canberra and regional Victoria in between.
This first section of the project will see travel between Sydney and Newcastle reduced to one hour, with two stops in between – one at Lake Macquarie and one on the Central Coast. Multiple stops in Sydney are also planned – in the CBD, Parramatta and the forthcoming Western Sydney International Airport.
From a business events perspective, high speed rail could bring new conference and incentive opportunities to Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and the Central Coast, by making them more easily accessible from Sydney.
In total, the federal government has committed $659.6 million to the high speed rail project between Sydney and Newcastle.
The next two years will see the design of the line locked down, as well as the approvals process and scope and cost of the project, so that construction contracts can be awarded to begin to turn the project into reality.
“High speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney will change the way people live, work and travel in our country’s most populous region,” said King.
“It will connect the Newcastle and Central Coast communities to Sydney in a way that has never been done before.
“The Albanese Government is focused on delivery. This development phase will lay the foundations for delivery of high speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney, ensuring we secure the rail corridor and undertake detailed planning before we start building.
“Carefully planned, costed and detailed preparation takes time, but it means when construction starts, it is built to last.”
According to the business case for the project, released today, estimated completion of the line between Newcastle and central Sydney is sometime between 2035 and 2039.
