NSW Government announces major high-speed rail network plan

The Berejiklian government has made its first major announcement in the lead up to the election, committing to a regional fast rail network that it claims will reduce train travel times by up to 75 per cent.

The NSW government acknowledged four potential fast rail routes within 300 kilometres of Sydney City on Tuesday.

• The “Northern Route” – including Central Coast and Newcastle
• The “Southern Inland Route” – including Goulburn and Canberra
• The “Western Route” – including Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange
• The “Southern Coastal Route” – including Wollongong and Nowra.

Work is anticipated to commence by 2023 with an expectation to upgrade existing rail corridors before new lines.

“This isn’t something we’ve just come up with now, we’ve been working on this for a long time,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Tuesday.

“This is a social issue, not just an economic issue.

“It’s about giving our citizens choice about how they live, where they live and how they can be better connected.”

$4.6 million has been committed to develop the master plan for the project.