Fast rail could turn Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle into 'mega region'

[M II A II R II K]

Fast rail could turn Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle into 'mega region'


June 5th, 2018

By Meredith Griffiths and Bellinda Kontominas

Read More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-0...sydney/9833800

A fast train network connecting greater Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle as a "mega region" could create more than 10,000 new jobs, according to a new report. A planning lobby group, the Committee for Sydney, said such a rail network could slash the commutes from Gosford to Sydney, and from Wollongong to Liverpool, by half. The report said even a moderately fast rail network, which reaches speeds of 200 kilometres per hour, could connect Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong with western Sydney in less than one hour.

- Building new housing along such rail corridors could take the pressure off the Sydney housing market, the report said. The Committee for Sydney has spent a year investigating the potential of improving links between Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong in what it is describing as a "mega-region". It estimates that if an extra 40,000 homes were built along the new rail corridors, that could deliver more than $75 billion of housing affordability improvements. --- It also said such a rail network could create 4,725 new jobs for Wollongong, 3,875 for Gosford and 3,225 for Newcastle. The Committee is calling this interconnected area "the Sandstone mega-region". It is following the lead of mega-regions in the Netherlands and south-east China, which it said has delivered improved economic and social outcomes for their communities.

.....