Central Coast Council Mayor Jane Smith has welcomed the State Government’s announcement of a northern high speed rail route which could reduce travel times between Sydney and the Central Coast to around 30 mins.

Mayor Jane Smith said this would make a significant difference to thousands of Central Coast residents who commute to Sydney every day often spending up to four hours a day on a return train journey between the coast and their destination.

“We know commuting is a major issue for our community with many Coasties having to travel off the coast every day for work or study,” Mayor Smith said.

“Reducing the commute to Sydney from around 90 minutes to 30 minutes would allow the community to have an additional two hours per day or as much as ten hours per week for other activities at home or in their community, like spending time with their family, rather than sitting on a train,” Mayor Smith said.

“This could also have a flow on effect of encouraging those who drive to Sydney each day to leave their cars at home and hop on a train, which would also reduce traffic on our major roads and deliver benefits to the environment.

“The devil will be in the detail too in terms of where the route will go, costings and car parking for commuters.”

“The State Government will need to prioritise and significantly increase investment in commuter parking stations along multiple stations on northern rail route so that commuters can have a choice of where they can park to access the fast train service.

“Major investment in infrastructure, such as this proposal by the State Government, has the potential to bring jobs and drive economic development on the coast and this is something Council is committed to delivering for our community.

Council is currently consulting with the community on parking on the Central Coast. Residents are encouraged to visit www.yourvoiceourcoast.com and complete the survey before 9 December