Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 17 December 2018.

MM-1

MAYORAL MINUTE

MM-1 MAYORAL MINUTE - HIGH SPEED RAIL NETWORK ACCESS

Summary: The Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian announced $4.6m to

investigate the delivery of a high-speed rail network for NSW. The
northern route would service the Central Coast and Newcastle; the
southern route would service Wollongong and Nowra; the western
route would service Lithgow, Bathurst and Parkes; and the south
western route would service Goulbourn and Canberra.

Recommendation

That Council authorise the General Manager and Mayor to:

a write to the Premier and Deputy Premier expressing concern in relation to the
announcement of a high speed rail network that does not correlate with the Future
Transport Strategy, Federal Strategy and recent Victorian Strategy
b write to the Deputy Prime Minister to ensure that any high-speed rail activity is
consistent with a national strategy
c write directly to Professor McNaughton to consider the existing corridor between
Sydney and Melbourne as a priority

Report

On 4 December 2018, the Premier of NSW Gladys Berejiklian announced a high speed
rail commitment, which included $4.6 million dollars in planning from the Snowy Hydro
fund. A British expert, Professor Andrew McNaughton is to consider a northern route
from Sydney to Newcastle, a western route to service Lithgow, Bathurst and Parkes; a
southern route to service Wollongong and Nowra and a south western route to service
Goulbourn and Canberra.

High speed rail would travel at speeds more than 250km per hour with the intention to
make regional cities more accessible to Sydney. The advice from Professor
McNaughton will identify existing corridors, while undertaking long term visionary
planning.

In March 2018, Transport for NSW in conjunction with RMS released the Future
Transport Strategy. This strategy had a focus on the role of transport in delivering
movement and place outcomes that support the character of the places and
communities we want for the future. The plan also identified key corridors to support
the growth of Regional Cities.

Wagga Wagga was included within the Adopted Future Transport Strategy 2056. The
endorsed plan is to have a high speed connection between Sydney and Melbourne,
while the Draft Plan initially excluded Wagga Wagga (Figure 1). Council wrote to the
Minister for Transport and prepared a comprehensive submission to justify its
inclusion, illustrated in Figure 2.

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Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 17 December 2018. MM-1

Figure 1, Draft Future Transport High Speed Connections

Figure 2, Final Future Transport Plan High Speed Connections

To not incorporate Wagga Wagga and Albury in the initial planning for high speed rail
study is imprudent for the following reasons:

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Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 17 December 2018. MM-1

 This is counter to the premier’s 20-year Economic vision of supporting Albury

and Wagga Wagga, regional cities southwest of Sydney to grow to 100,000.
 It is inconsistent with the 2056 Future Strategy, developed by Transport for NSW
in consultation with regional and metropolitan stakeholders.
 Melbourne to Sydney are in the top five most travelled air routes in the world.
 Victoria and NSW undertaking a regional rail network in isolation, which
counters cross-border collaboration.
 It is inconsistent with the Federal Governments’ high speed rail network, which
incorporates Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga as hubs on the network.

Financial Implications

N/A

Policy and Legislation

N/A

Link to Strategic Plan

Growing Economy
Objective: We are a Regional Capital
Outcome: We have complete and accessible transport networks, building
infrastructure, improving road travel reliability, ensure on-time running for public
transport

Risk Management Issues for Council

Wagga Wagga is the largest regional city in NSW, located halfway between Melbourne
and Sydney; not including Wagga Wagga on the high speed regional network would
restrict the long term potential of the city.

Internal / External Consultation

N/A

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