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A high-speed rail line between Newcastle and Sydney would be delivered in three stages under ambitious plans detailed in a business case for the mega project, which envisages the first services starting by 2037. Under the preferred option, operations between Newcastle and the Central Coast would start within the next 12 years, followed by those to the Sydney CBD by 2039, and Parramatta and Western Sydney Airport by 2042. The plans by a federal rail authority, which proposes that construction begin in 2027, include stations at Broadmeadow in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast, the Sydney CBD, Parramatta and Western Sydney Airport. Of the 191 kilometres planned, 115 kilometres would be in tunnels, 41 kilometres on surface tracks and 38 kilometres over bridges and viaducts.
