Parramatta to rival Sydney’s Central Station for new fast train

Parramatta is set to become the next Central with the proposed fast rail service linking Sydney to regional centres expected to stop at the western Sydney hub.

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A very fast train connecting regional areas to Sydney would stop in Parramatta before whisking commuters to Wollongong and the Central Coast under early concept plans for the line.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal almost one year since Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the project, a blueprint on the proposed routes, stations and how it would be delivered is almost complete.

The very fast train connecting regional areas to Sydney would stop in Parramatta before whisking commuters to Wollongong and the Central Coast

The report, being undertaken by an expert panel led by international fast rail adviser Professor Andrew McNaughton, examines four potential corridors with the team having met with councils, government officials and business leaders as part of its investigation.

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A source close to the project said the preference was for Parramatta – or possibly Sydney Olympic Park – to serve as the central hub for the line instead of the Sydney CBD.

Commuters wanting to travel to the city would instead board the future Metro West.

France's high speed train Network Train Grande Vitesse (TGV).

The proposed stops along the coastal line would include Wollongong and Macarthur to the south, with the train going underground from Parramatta to Hornsby before the Central Coast and Newcastle.

The train is likely to have a speed of up to 200km/h, similar to the XPT with a Maglev – which runs at 600km/h – and high-speed bullet trains deemed cost prohibitive.

However, the limited stops would ensure commuters from regional areas could commute to Sydney in under an hour, a move that would expand the jobs catchment.

"The land in Sydney is expensive but it's where all the jobs are, while land on the Central Coast and Wollongong is less expensive but there is not the thriving job market," the source said.

"This would turbo charge regional communities to the north and south while allowing people to live on the coast and work in Sydney. "

An artist's impression of type of Very Fast Train (VFT)

Crowds and police at Parramatta station during a train strike Pic: John Grainger

To the west, the team has been examining the possibility of the line stopping at Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange with a southern inland line stretching out to Goulburn and Canberra.

Should the rail come to fruition, travel times from the Central Coast and Wollongong to Parramatta would be within a time frame that commuters might consider moving to the regions.

Western Sydney Business Chamber executive director David Borger said a fast rail hub in Parramatta would further transform the region. The report is due to be handed to the state government this month.

Originally published as Parramatta to rival Sydney’s Central Station for new fast train