Federal Budget 2019: High-speed rail system business case to be established

The Federal Government has revealed plans to establish a fast rail system, connecting Sydney and Wollongong, are a priority in the 2019 Budget.

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Early plans to establish a fast rail system between Sydney and Wollongong have been revealed by the Federal Government as part of the 2019 Budget.

An artist impression of a newly proposed high speed rail system connecting Sydney with Wollongong, Canberra and Newcastle. Picture: Supplied

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed the government would establish a business case for a fast rail line from Sydney to Wollongong, as part of his budget speech on Tuesday night.

The announcement of funding for the business case comes after the NSW Government announced ambitious plans for a high-speed rail network across NSW.

Budget documents revealed business cases would also be developed for fast rail from Sydney to sattelite cities including Newcastle as well as Parkes via Bathurst and Orange.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handing down his first Federal Budget in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Lukas Coch

An artist impression of a newly proposed high speed rail system connecting Sydney with Wollongong, Canberra and Newcastle. Picture: Supplied

The high-speed rail link is part of a $7.3 billion infrastructure fund for NSW in the Federal Budget, which Federal Treasurer John Frydenberg has used in an attempt to woo back voters just days before an election is announced.

Currently it takes approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes to travel from Sydney to Wollongong on the current network, with suggestions a high-speed rail system could cut the commute down to 30 minutes.

Mr Frydenberg said the congestion-busting rail fund “will provide the commuters on this key transport corridor with faster and more reliable journey times, unlocking new economic and social opportunities for the region”.

“As part of the Government’s Planning for Australia’s Future Population package, transport infrastructure investment will help take pressure off the big cities and support the growth of the regions,” he said.

“The Government’s 20 year fast rail plan is to have more efficient and reliable journeys along strategic corridors connecting major regional centres with capital cities.

“This plan includes $40 million for detailed assessments of five fast rail corridors from Sydney to Wollongong, Sydney to Parkes (via Bathurst and Orange), Melbourne to Albury Wodonga, Melbourne to Traralgon, and Brisbane to the Gold Coast.”

Budget papers also revealed the Government have committed to a massive increase in the Urban Congestion Fund, increasing from $1 billion to $4 billion, including a $500 million fund for upgrades to the Princes Highway as part of infrastructure spending with “projects to target congestion in some of our worst affected urban areas”.

This fund includes a $500 million to establish the commuter car park fund to allow more people to park and ride, taking tens of thousands of cars off our major roads per day, a road safety package of $2.2 billion, including $1.1 billion for vital maintenance and repair, $550 million in increased funding for the Black Spots Program, and an additional $571 million for bridge renewals and safety including heavy vehicles.