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Newcastle Airport will not have a connection to the East Coast high-speed rail under current proposals, the Transport Minister has confirmed.
The High-Speed Rail Authority has released its business case for the first stage of the project, which would link Newcastle to Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) via Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast, Sydney Central, and Parramatta, with construction to potentially start in 2029.
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Speaking to ABC Radio in Newcastle, Transport Minister Catherine King said Newcastle Airport, which has recently commenced international operations, would not be in line for a high-speed rail spot, but the Government would consider other transit links.
“That’s not the proposal to bring high-speed rail to Newcastle Airport. It’s really around trying to look at that Newcastle to Sydney link by rail,” she said.
“Obviously in terms of public transport, if the New South Wales Government wants to bring forward proposals to look at how they might do other alternatives out to the airport, we’re happy to have a look at those, but we don’t have any proposals before us at the moment.”
Stage 1A to 1B would connect Newcastle with Sydney Central Station, with 1C to then link the line to WSI via Parramatta. The goal is for the line to eventually link Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra, with trains travelling at speeds of around 200km/h in tunnelled sections and higher speeds elsewhere.
Estimates say it would enable travel between Newcastle and WSI in under 90 minutes, with future phases to potentially link Sydney to Canberra in 90 minutes and Sydney to Melbourne in four hours.
According to the business case, the project will “boost the Australian economy by $250 billion over the next 50 years and produce over 99,000 new jobs”. It will now go to a $659.6 million, two-year development phase, with the first stage estimated to cost around $90 billion.
“High Speed Rail between Newcastle and Sydney will change the way people live, work and travel in our country’s most populous region. It will connect the Newcastle and Central Coast communities to Sydney in a way that has never been done before,” said Minister King in a statement.
“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.”
Newcastle Airport has been contacted for comment.
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