Above ground or underground: $90bn rail project tests two risky paths
A surface route needs to buy huge amounts of land. Tunnelling risks ground collapse through abandoned coal mines.
The $90 billion Newcastle to Sydney high-speed rail project faces a key choice. Should the final section run above ground or underground?
An above-ground track between Broadmeadow and Kotara would need to buy vast amounts of public and private land. An underground route would tunnel through soft coal seams and abandoned mine workings.
This risks ground collapse and damage to nearby infrastructure. Infrastructure Minister Catherine King says all options are still under study.
She promised to learn from the Inland Rail project, which went way over budget. Engineers, not politicians, will make the final call, she said.
- $90 billion
- Project cost
- 191 kilometres
- Link distance
- 2 years
- Development phase duration
- Broadmeadow to Kotara
- Route section decision point
Why it mattersThe choice affects land costs and construction risks. It also means years of disruption for the Hunter and Sydney regions.
AustraliaNewcastle and Sydney residents will live with the consequences of this choice for decades; it affects property values and construction timelines across both cities.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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