$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.

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