Labor promises $6.8b South Coast rail upgrade if re-elected
New South Wales Labor has pledged a $6.8 billion upgrade to the South Coast rail line if re-elected next year. The plan would electrify the Kiama-Bomaderry…
Labor promises $6.8b south coast rail upgrades as commuters weigh the plan against recent timetable turmoil. New South Wales Labor says it would electrify the line between Kiama and Bomaderry if re-elected next year, allowing passengers to travel from Sydney to Nowra without changing to a diesel train.
The proposed South Coast Rail Plan also includes extra tracks and passing loops between Wollongong and Kiama, and duplicated tracks between Hurstville and Sutherland to separate passenger and freight trains. Planning is expected to start in 2027, with construction scheduled for completion in the mid to late 2030s.
The pledge comes days after the state government scrapped a planned timetable overhaul for November following commuter backlash. The proposed changes would have brought more frequent T4 and South Coast services, but also longer travel times and the loss of an airport connection at Wolli Creek.
The timing leaves the government pitching a long-term infrastructure plan as it responds to immediate concerns about service reliability. For passengers, the promised electrification would remove the need to change trains between Sydney and Nowra, while added tracks and passing loops are intended to support more frequent services.
Early works target line disruptions
The plan includes $621 million for infrastructure upgrades ahead of the major construction work. The funding would update power and signalling systems, address flooding and landslips on sections of the line, and improve bushfire resilience.
Those works target disruptions that can affect the line before the larger project is complete. The broader upgrade would also separate passenger and freight trains between Hurstville and Sutherland through a doubling of the tracks.
Minister for the Illawarra Ryan Park said passenger demand was expected to grow by almost 30 per cent by 2041. He described the upgrade as a “must-have” and said it would bring “increased frequency,” “faster journey times” and “increased reliability.”
The government says the plan is the largest heavy rail infrastructure commitment in generations for the Illawarra and South Coast. A version was proposed ahead of the 2019 election by then-Liberal incumbent Gareth Ward, but Labor dropped it in 2023; the Liberal government later withdrew its support.
Park said the government was not considering other near-term timetable changes. “We've got to focus on reliability on those two lines, the T4 and the South Coast, [and] that's our priority going forward,” he said.
Voters in New South Wales go to the polls next year. The rail upgrade is conditional on Labor being re-elected.
Source: abc.net.au
