WITH GLOBAL entertainers Sir Elton John and now Pink under McDonald Jones Stadium's belt, City of Newcastle (CN) hopes the next big act is an extension of the light rail to the Hunter Park precinct.
Public transport issues plagued the almost 50,000 people that turned out to see Elton John live at the stadium, and with the state election just around the corner the council hopes it can bargain for a better deal.
The preliminary business case for Hunter Park shows the potential for almost 10,000 new jobs, a CN spokeswoman said.
"Adequate public transport will be a critical part of the precinct masterplan," she said.
"This means bus, heavy rail, ride share, bicycle and light rail, will all have to be considered and how they connect with Broadmeadow train station.
"Whether it be for a sporting event or a regional festival, Hunter Park will need a transport solution that can move tens of thousands of people into and out of the precinct with minimum fuss and time."
She said it's key that Transport for NSW (TFNSW) has Hunter Park at the forefront as it plans and secures transport corridors for the light rail extension to John Hunter Hospital and the university.
"Else we run the risk of having no cost-effective way of getting the light rail extension to the doorstop of Hunter Park, should the NSW government choose to invest in the development of the precinct," she said.
According to TFNSW, it is looking into a future light rail corridor after pre-feasibility investigations in 2020.
A spokeswoman said the investigations are still in their infancy, but they relate to future corridor preservation, alignment and strategic transport network outcomes.
"TFNSW continues to work with City of Newcastle, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation in exploring these matters in the context of broader precinct and city planning, as well as alignment with future land use," she said.
"This also includes work around the Broadmeadow Catalyst Area with the Department of Planning leading a planning exercise for the redevelopment of the Broadmeadow area to include a major sport and entertainment hub along with other uses."
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said he's been pushing for the state government to preserve light rail corridors since 2015.
"Eight years later I've been pushing this government ever since and we've only just got a commitment along with Tweed and Queanbeyan to start the corridor preservation process," he said.
"Transport for NSW has really been dragging the chain on this issue.
"You've got more than 25,000 people coming to concerts now, imagine how many more would come with a large entertainment centre there in the future - we need good public transport and that's why it's so important we get step one right, which is to preserve the corridors."
The state government allocated $3 million between the three regions in the June budget, last year.
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