The UK expert who reviewed high-speed rail options for the NSW government says "fixing the corridor between Sydney and the Hunter" would make the most difference to the most people.
Professor Andrew McNaughton, the chairman of England's Network Rail High Speed agency, wrote a report for the NSW government three years ago which has never seen the light of day.
The report investigated four high-speed routes out of Sydney, north to Newcastle, south to Nowra via Wollongong, south-west to Canberra and west to Orange.
Professor McNaughton told the Sydney Morning Herald this week that 250kmh rail services to Newcastle and Wollongong would "change the face of NSW".
"In my book, you've got to fix the corridor between Sydney and the Hunter," he said.
"That [would make] the biggest difference to the biggest number of people."
The government set a target of 2056 for a high-speed rail network in a discussion paper in September.
It has budgeted $275 million for planning fast rail over the next four years and has released a transport strategy which sets the goal of cutting Sydney to Newcastle rail travel to "about one hour".
It says it will release more details about fast rail in a new plan for the "Six Cities mega-region" next year.
Professor McNaughton told the Sydney Morning Herald that putting Newcastle within an hour of Sydney was the priority.
The project would require an entirely new track and tunnels under Sydney.
He described the existing track as a "lovely piece of Victorian engineering" which was "basically useless".
He said Canberra was a lower priority and the state's west should have better conventional trains.
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