Australia Begins Development for Newcastle–Sydney High-Speed Rail

The Australian Government has announced the start of development for Australia’s proposed high-speed rail line between Newcastle and Sydney.

The scheme forms part of the government’s wider high-speed rail programme and plans to connect Newcastle, the Central Coast and Sydney with reduced journey times. Current plans indicate travel between Newcastle and central Sydney could take about one hour, while trips from the Central Coast to either city could be reduced to around 30 minutes.

The Newcastle–Sydney section is identified as the first stage of a potential east-coast high-speed rail network.

The two-year development phase is backed by funding of 659.6 million AUD. The work is intended to make the first corridor “construction ready” by progressing detailed design, environmental approvals, scope definition and cost estimates. This stage will also support preparations for future procurement of major construction contracts.

The approach follows advice from Infrastructure Australia, which identified the need for detailed planning and sequencing before construction begins on a project of this scale. As part of the development phase, the government will assess a range of potential public and private financing options to inform a later investment decision once scope, cost and risk are finalised.

Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King said:

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.

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.

Alongside the announcement, the government released a business case prepared by the High Speed Rail Authority. The document estimates the project could contribute approximately 250 billion AUD to the national economy over 50 years and support more than 99,000 jobs across sectors, including construction, advanced manufacturing and tourism.