The South Coast Line could be properly assessed for rail improvement options if the New South Wales Government listed it as a priority for a share of the Federal Government’s $20 million for the development of business cases for strategic rail corridors.
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance MP, today told ABC Illawarra that it was “not possible”, “it’s not feasible this time”, “love to do it, but just can’t” in relation to building a tunnel from Thirroul to Waterfall to cut commuter times by up to 30 minutes.
The Minister then told ABC Illawarra the tunnel option had:
No proper assessment that’s been done in relation to it.
Documents leaked to the media in recent weeks have revealed the Government has considered various transport options to connect Wollongong to Sydney by road and rail.
The Government, according to the leaked documents, appears to favour building a toll road F6 extension over improving rail connections on the South Coast Line.
The National Rail Program: Investing in rail networks for our cities and regions specifies that the Federal Government will contribute towards the cost of planning major rail projects in a three stage process with requests for initial funding proposals required by September 2017.
The Federal Government has invited State Governments to submit proposals to improve or extend existing lines, including:
…improvements to bridges, tunnels or gradients which slow down trains. Proposals could also involve replacing stretches of winding track which prevents trains running at high speeds…
The Federal Government’s overview also specifically cites the slow average speed between Wollongong and Sydney on the South Coast Line.
Wollongong MP, Paul Scully, wrote to the Minister on 23 May requesting that the Government list the South Coast Line as a priority project for a share of funding for the development of a business case under the National Rail Program.
Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:
“The Government is looking muddled and confused about addressing the vital transport links needed along the Wollongong to Sydney corridor.
“This morning’s interview on ABC Illawarra by the Minister is a reflection on how confused and muddled that Government actually is.
“In a stunning revelation the Minister conceded that no proper assessment of South Coast Line improvements has been done.
“I told the Minister in May to list the South Coast Line and the Wollongong to Sydney corridor as a priority project so we can take advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to have all the transport improvement options on the table and assessed properly.
“The way this can be done is by nominating the South Coast Line as a priority project for a share of business case funding under the Federal Government’s National Rail Program.
“This is a crucial opportunity to put everything on the table and assess all the options properly to deal with the current constraints on the South Coast Line with the overall objective of delivering faster passenger travel from Wollongong to Sydney.”
