Sydney to Newcastle in under an hour: Labor’s pitch for high-speed rail

Labor leader Anthony Albanese will pledge a $500 million high-speed rail “game changer” for the growing population in the Hunter region.

Travel between Sydney and Newcastle would be slashed to just 45 minutes under a Labor proposal for a high-speed rail line to be unveiled by Anthony Albanese on Sunday.

The opposition leader confirmed he will commit to providing $500 million to the ambitious project in his first budget if Labor topples the coalition at the federal election.

Speaking in the Hunter region on Sunday, Mr Albanese will tell a rally that the 250km/h rail line was needed to serve a population set to grow by 200,000 by 2040.

“We’ve already outlined how our new High Speed Rail Authority will kickstart this nation building project by updating the business case and building on Labor’s work from when we were last in government,” Mr Albanese will say.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has a vision for a high-speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle. Picture: Gaye Gerard

“I am proud to announce that – under a Labor Government I lead – the High Speed Rail Authority will make the corridor from Newcastle to Sydney, which includes stops at the Central Coast, its first priority.”

Labor’s plans if elected include starting with a “fast rail corridor” between the state’s biggest cities that would cut the travel time down to two hours before embarking on a 45-minute trip high-speed line.

“You’ll be able to jump on the train at 6.30pm and be at Sydney Olympic Park for the start of the Knights game,” Mr Albanese will tell the crowd.

“It will make the region more connected, giving businesses opportunities for closer collaboration and integration as well as an incentive for people looking to relocate to the region.

“It will bring economic benefits to local industries like tourism and hospitality. And High Speed Rail is a game changer for workers commuting to Sydney.”

Various high-speed rail projects have been proposed over the years.

The high-speed rail project has been on the political backburner since 2013, when Labor were last in power, when a report commissioned into the national project found the initial benefits would outweigh the costs of the plan.

Several governments have flagged the potential for a national high-speed rail line since the 1980s but the huge costs have failed to see it go further than election time talk.

The 2013 government report into the project estimated it would cost about $114 billion to build and takes decades to finish.

In the lead up to the 2019 election Scott Morrison promised $2 billion for a Geelong to Melbourne link as part of the national line.

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