High-speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle could be ‘shovel-ready’ in two years, Albanese government says

Transport minister Catherine King will pledge $230m for planning work for the first phase of a bullet train on Australia's east coast

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Long-mooted plans for high-speed rail could be shovel-ready" within two years, according to the federal government, which will on Tuesday announce another $230m for further planning work for fast trains between Sydney and Newcastle, as part of the first phase of an eventual east coast bullet train.

Rail journeys on the new fast train could take as little as one hour between Sydney and Newcastle, and 30 minutes between Sydney and the Central Coast, the transport and infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said. It currently takes more than 2.5 hours to travel by train from Sydney to Newcastle, and almost 1.5 hours from Sydney to the Central Coast.