The decision to truncate the Newcastle rail line and provide an inferior light rail replacement is nothing short of scandalous. Both the Supreme Court of NSW and the ICAC have queried the conduct of the government in this matter but even the ordinary person on the street can see it was a stinker. Newcastle is a major regional hub and the second largest city in NSW. It deserves a quality rail service into the heart of the city. The government and developers combined to make the nonsensical claim that removing a direct rail line would regenerate the city; it is well known that public transport improvements are more likely to have that effect. As Save Our Rail NSW Inc have outlined, there were several solutions that could have been adopted to link the city with the Honeysuckle precinct without closing the rail line.

APTNSW calls on NSW election candidates to commit to a reopening of rail services to Newcastle and exploration of options such as footbridges, crossings and viaducts to make the rail line an integral part of Newcastle's future. We also call on the government to explore improvements in the alignment of the track which will result in faster journey times.