NSW Government promises $6.8b South Coast line upgrade

The New South Wales government has promised to deliver a $6.8 billion upgrade to the South Coast rail line if re-elected next year, days after scrapping a controversial new timetable that would have added more trains for Illawarra commuters.

The plan includes a commitment to deliver on a promise made by Labor at the 2005 NSW election to electrify the line between Kiama and Bomaderry. That would allow passengers to travel from Sydney to Nowra without changing to the diesel train currently completing the journey. The South Coast Rail Plan also includes extra tracks and passing loops between Wollongong and Kiama, and a doubling of the tracks between Hurstville and Sutherland to separate passenger and freight trains.

The announcement comes just two days after the state government scrapped a timetable overhaul planned for November following backlash from commuters who faced longer travel times and the loss of an airport connection at Wolli Creek, in exchange for more frequent T4 and South Coast services. Minister for the Illawarra Ryan Park described the upgrade as a “must-have” on a line that was expected to see passenger demand grow by almost 30 per cent by 2041. The project includes $621 million in infrastructure upgrades ahead of the major works, to update power and signalling infrastructure, address flooding and landslips on sections of the line, as well as to improve bushfire resilience.

Planning is expected to start in 2027, with construction to be completed by the mid to late 2030s.