The wheels are turning on the ambitious call for the state government to buy an old mining rail line and repurpose it to connect the Hunter's two fast-growing regions.
A petition signed by almost 3000 people has been presented to Parliament requesting that the state government acquire the disused Maitland to Cessnock line, which is currently owned by Aurizon and Yancoal, and reuse it as a public transport corridor.
The population of the regional centres is predicted to explode in the coming decades, with both Maitland and Cessnock local government areas expected to add another 50,000 people each by 2041, making the combined population more than 250,000.
The plan is estimated to cost between $100 million to $200 million, and would establish eight stations along the growth corridor between Maitland and Cessnock, including stops at Gillieston Heights, Kurri Kurri, Abermain and Bellbird.
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr presented the petition to the NSW Parliament and said the NSW Transport Department's long-term strategy included returning a rail service to Cessnock.
"That's in there in black and white, and has been for years regardless of which party has been in power," he said.
Mr Barr stopped short of openly supporting the project, noting the state's dire financial situation. But the MP said the proposal deserved to be properly investigated.
"I'd like to think we can get some money set aside for a serious look at this," he said.
"Call it seed funding or planning funding, but enough to do the business case and actually take a serious look at it would be handy."
Cessnock rail group's Andrew Fenwick has made an official submission to the state government, calling for $10 million in the upcoming budget to develop a business case and design the first phase of the project, so that delivery funding could be confirmed in the 2025-26 budget.
"To be honest, you couldn't have planned the route better, there's this perfect rail corridor that goes from village to village," Mr Fenwick said.
"It already has 50,000 people within walking distance of the proposed stations. It ticks all the government's own boxes."
Rail projects typically cost up to $20,000 per person in the catchment area, Mr Fenwick said, but the Maitland-Cessnock proposal would be between $2000 and $4000 per person.
"You won't find a cheaper one," he said.
However, it will only remain a low-cost option if acted on quickly. Yancoal is in the process of rehabilitating its Austar mine near Bellbird, which includes ripping up the rail line.
The NSW government is also in the process of replacing the state's regional rolling stock, which means the Maitland-Cessnock line could be serviced with the surplus carriages.
"The timing is very important on this, if we wait this could blow out from a $150-million plan to more than $1 billion," Mr Fenwick said.
Mr Barr noted the time pressure and said that one way or another, the growing population needed to be supported by more transport infrastructure.
"We're either going to have to spend a massive amount of money on road upgrades or a massive amount on public transport," he said.
Despite the proposal aligning with the government's own plans - the Maitland-Cessnock corridor has been flagged in five state government strategies going back several years - Mr Fenwick said the community was sceptical of government support.
"When you dig deeper into that, there is a concern that because we are such a safe seat, we won't have money spent here," he said.
