$6.8 billion upgrade to the South Coast rail - Our comment

     Intercity train on the South Coast Line through green hills. Photo: Transport for NSW. 

     Source: Railway Supply

The NSW government has promised to deliver a $6.8 billion upgrade to the South Coast rail line from Hurstville to Sutherland and onto Kiama and Bomaderry if re-elected next year. This is two days after scrapping a controversial new timetable that would have added more trains for Illawarra commuters.

As noted by the ABC, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-26/labor-promises-south-coast-rail-line-upgrade/107307726

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.

There is a good case for increasing track capacity between Hurstville and Sutherland. However, would not some of the $6.8 billion be better spent on completing the 35 km Maldon Dombarton rail link that was one third completed during the 1980s ?

Or constructing the Waterfall/Helensburgh to Coledale tunnel, promised in the 1998 NSW official 2010 Action for Transport statement. 

This tunnel was a promise reiterated by Premier Carr in 1999. Instead of delivering this, a "South Coast Corridor - Rail Improvement - Thirroul Tunnel Study" was commissioned. The study was actually released to the public in 2003 and gave two other track realignment options to the 11 km rail tunnel.  The two options considered were discrete significant improvements to the alignment generally following the existing corridor  - one was the “best travel time savings” and the other was “best value” based on capital cost and the time savings that would be achieved.

Instead, South Coast passengers got no tunnel and no improvements to the track alignment. 

By 2005, their trains were being slowed down. The express trains between Central and Wollongong have an average speed of 55 km/h.

The proposed new timetable announced on 14 October and dumped on 24 October proposed even slower trains. Not good if you commute most days from Wollongong to Sydney for work.  

On ABC Radio Illawarra on 26 October, Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast and MP for Keira, Ryan Park,  said this drew the most complaints to his office.

...

South Coast timetable changes DUMPED

ABC News

Proposed timetable changes on the T4, T8 and South Coast lines have been scrapped by the NSW government.

The changes were due to begin next month but have been opposed by commuters.

Premier Chris Minns says the government has "listened to commuters and local MPs".

Link to full article:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-24/nsw-government-backflip-t4-t8-south-coast-rail-timetable-changes/107304442

WTC awaits further information. In the meantime, as Illawarra Rail Fail song said so eloquently when Andrew Constance was Minister for Transport "We need more trains, and faster trains, to get us on our way."

The new Western Sydney International airport will have its first regular scheduled passenger flights on Sunday 25 October. 

An Illawarra Shoalhaven 2026 transport plan initiative re Public transport connections with South Western Sydney is " Strengthen public transport connectivity with South Western Sydney by introducing new and improved bus services between Wollongong CBD and South Western Sydney and surrounds including Campbelltown, Appin, Picton and Wilton, and improving integration with services connecting to the Shoalhaven."

The new airport should give impetus to not only improved bus services but also a South West Illawarra Rail Link (SWIRL aka Maldon Dombarton).

South Coast timetable change

                Source photo: Illawarra flame 181026

In April 2026 there were reports on ABC Radio Illawarra that a new South Coast train timetable would be introduced but our trains would no longer stop at Wolli Creek. Also that they would terminate at Central, giving longer journey times for train commuters working in the Sydney CBD using Town Hall or Martin Place stations.

The Keiraville Residents Action Group (KRAG) and others noted that in the past when a major change to the train timetable was made, there was community consultation by the NSW government.

KRAG asked local NSW MP and Minister Ryan Park for community consultation on a draft new train timetable before final decisions were made.

Instead, on 15 October, the NSW Government advised  that there would be more trains (as promised in the 2010s by then transport Minister Andrew Constance) but not only would the trains terminate at Central and not stop at Wolli Creek, but, they

would also be slower:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/ministerial-releases/major-rail-service-boost-for-southern-sydney-and-south-coast

For a good perspective see also:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4050702065236381

https://www.theillawarraflame.com.au/new-train-services-will-change-commuter-patterns-for-better-for-worse/

The clear winners from the timetable change are those who use stations on the Cronulla line. Hopefully, some changes can be made and that at least some commuting trains will continue past Central, and some South Coast trains will stop at Wolli Creek.

The federal budget and Illawarra transport

ROADS

The closest the Illawarra came to securing major funding was the continuation of funding for the Mt Ousley interchange. See HERE  Further details, including a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the southbound access road, are provided HERE

RAIL

The closest the Illawarra appears to have come to federally funded rail improvements is the $50 million project jointly funded by the ACT and NSW governments, contributing $25 million each. See HERE

There was also last year’s announcement of $1 billion to better connect the new Western Sydney Airport to south-west Sydney. See HERE

Who knows — this could even lead to a Menangle-to-Yanderra rail deviation north of Mittagong.

Between Menangle, with its 1863 rail bridge, and the northern portal of the Aylmerton tunnel, there are 54.3 kilometres of track with “steam-age” alignment. This could be replaced with 36 kilometres of track built to modern engineering standards on the eastern side of the Hume Highway (Wentworth deviation). 

The main benefit would be an average saving of nearly 20 minutes in transit time for passenger and freight trains. It would also reduce diesel consumption.

                                                      Source: Rail Futures Institute Inc., May 2024

The new deviation on the NSW Main South Line would integrate well with the Maldon–Port Kembla Railway and share about two kilometres of common alignment near Wilton, where a new station could potentially be built.

Meanwhile, the northern section of Inland Rail from Parkes to near Brisbane has been shelved — albeit with a small offset.

At a time when Australia should be reducing dependence on imported diesel, scaling back Inland Rail means more trucks on the Newell Highway and an additional 750,000 tonnes of emissions annually, including the use of an extra 270 million litres of diesel each year. See HERE

Article in Pearls and Irritations-Fuel security needs a rethink-and rail is part of it

From Pearls and Irritations, 24 April 2026

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/04/australia-needs-to-address-fuel-use-and-security/?

Article in Illawarra Flame - 4 March 2026

Link to article: lets-be-bold-with-our-future-transport-plans-expert

Screenshots below are from the article and ©Illawarra Flame

WTC submission to TfNSW (February 2026)

On 24 February, the Albanese Government outlined a pathway for a  160 km Sydney Newcastle train journey on new track to take just 60 minutes by 2039.

At the  present rate of progress in speeding up Sydney Wollongong trains, it is expected that by 2039, our 80 km train journeys will continue to take 90 minutes.  

Our submission (click on link) to TfNSW calls for an outline of how the NSW Government is going to speed up our train services, and complete Maldon-Dombarton for passengers as well as freight, with an interchange station at Wilton.