NSW Premier Chris Minns wants train manufacturing to resume in the Hunter during the next term of government.
Mr Minns returned to Newcastle on Friday to announce the opening of the tender process for the Labor government's $12 billion plan to build the next generation of NSW trains at either the Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot or the former Glencore coal mine at Teralba.
The final decision on the location is due before the end of the year.
In July the Minns government made the announcement that train manufacturing would return to the Hunter, creating 780 jobs during construction and 550 ongoing roles.
If Labor is successful in next year's state election, Mr Minns said he wanted the tender signed and manufacturing started within the next term.
"Transport [for NSW] is telling us the early 2030s," Mr Minns said.
"We'd like to see it even earlier than that, and our ambition is to have this up and running in the next term of parliament. So, we'll get cracking as soon as possible.
"I know there's going to be a degree of scepticism about that. However, when we did the train rebuilding and refurbishing program for the Tangaras, there was a lot of scepticism, too.
"That is on time, on budget. It is a massive operation. It's employing hundreds of people."
The NSW government plans to engage with manufacturers from around the globe, but the successful applicant will be required to support 50 per cent local content for rolling stock contracts.
"We believe in domestic manufacturing, and I know that it's been met with scepticism by some, but I can promise you, there is not a country in the world that hasn't regretted closing down their domestic manufacturing industry. Not one.
"No state government, no country. Because once it's gone with the jobs and the pay packets and the industry, the economic growth that comes from it, it's gone."
The location of the train manufacturing hub will be the government's next major announcement on the issue.
Lake Macquarie City Council has been advocating strongly to the government for the disused Teralba mining site to be chosen to help transition its workforce in the resources sector into new jobs.
The council has also pitched the Teralba site for the potential staging zone and construction hub for the Sydney to Newcastle high-speed rail project.
Mr Minns was asked if having the high-speed rail and train manufacturing at the same site would complement each other.
"We'd like to see that, but we're not waiting for it," he said.
"We acknowledge that's an opportunity both for the next round of high-speed rail and domestic manufacturing, whatever aspects of it we can pick up here in the Hunter.
"But I just want to make it clear, we are not waiting for high-speed rail. We are doing this no matter what."
Train manufacturing is certain to become one of Labor's major election pitches for the Hunter, which is increasingly being targeted by One Nation.
Last month One Nation announced that former NSW investment commissioner and investment banker Mike Newman would contest the seat of Cessnock and lead the right-wing party at the election.
"I know that there are some Labor voters who are thinking about supporting One Nation for the first time," Mr Minns said.
"But the election's not for five months, and we are telling them and putting a big, broad call out to those potential voters to say that Labor in NSW with my government is committed to domestic manufacturing, we are committed to mining jobs, and we are committed to protecting the aluminium smelter at Tomago.
"We will do whatever we must do to protect jobs and industry in the Hunter.
"And I just say that One Nation probably can't form a government unless it's with the Liberal Party, and the Liberal Party believe in none of that."
Asked for his opinion on Liberal leader Kellie Sloane's admission this week that her party effectively had no "real prospect of winning" seats in the Hunter, the premier described the comment as "a bit strange".
"We're not giving up on any votes," he said. "Voters in the Hunter have got every right to make a decision about whoever they want to support, and we respect that."
