The NSW Government have promised to start work on a fast rail network which could include Newcastle to Sydney services, should they be re-elected in March.
The bold plans announced on Tuesday proposed two types of trains, faster rail which would travel at speeds of up to 200km/h and High-Speed Rail which would travel at speeds of up to 250km/h.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a faster rail network will give people greater choice about where they live and how they commute to work.
"We know a fast rail network will transform NSW unlike any other project and we will make it a reality.
"We need to make it easier for people to consider moving to regional NSW and there is no better way to do it than building a fast rail network," Ms Berejiklian said.
The four routes identified by the state government are Northern Route including the Central Coast and Newcastle; Southern Inland Route including Goulburn and Canberra; Western Route including Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange/Parkes; and Southern Coastal Route including Wollongong and Nowra.
The NSW Government has appointed Professor Andrew McNaughton to lead an expert panel to provide advice to the Premier on how the government should best deliver a fast rail network.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said the commute to Sydney from Newcastle could soon be just 45 minutes.
"Obviously this has to go through a technical case, and they have to go through a business case. This is a commitment we will be following through if we win government in March.
"Following the work to be done by Prof McNaughton, the government will take it to the next stage about what we can do. This could mean faster rail or high-speed rail," Mr MacDonald said.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said in the long term, high-speed rail would see the development of new alignments and lines, providing speeds of over 250km/h, giving the potential to cut travel times by up to 75 per cent.
 |
| Artists impression of the planned high-speed rail. |
