Road ? Or Rail ?

It seems that the New South Wales government was trying to decide whether to choose road or rail to improve the connection between Sydney and the city of Wollongong and its south coast hinterland. That decision came down in favour of " road " and consequently we are on the cusp of creating the F-6 extension that will provide a multi-lane, divided freeway from Waterfall to the suburb of St Peters in central Sydney.

What was rejected was a proposal for a rail tunnel from Thirroul to Waterfall, which would have reduced the present ninety minute rail travel time from Wollongong to Central to one hour - and vastly improved the reliability of this important rail corridor.   The estimated cost of the rail tunnel was $3.6 billion, a mere fraction of what the F-6 extension will cost.

The government seems reluctant to even admit that it engaged consultants to create a study titled " The Rail Corridor Strategy:  Sydney to Wollongong " and that this was buried in the archives in 2014.  To do so would ignite that old chestnut - the controversy of whether funds should be spent to improve roads or whether public transport should take preference.

Having taken the decision to build the F-6 the government is now talking about " improving " the existing rail line but that is an impossible task.  The rail line was created in the nineteenth century to get coal from the newly discovered Wollongong coal mines to feed Sydney industry and it was built with pick and shovel, horse and cart transport through unyielding terrain. Steam power has been converted to  electric trains but the track twists and turns over chasms and through tunnels and travel reverts to buses because of the danger of land slips after even moderate rain.

To further complicate this issue, it has just been announced that the next major Sydney project to create more living space for our ever growing population will be centred on Picton and Wilton, farm and grazing country inland above the Wollongong escarpment. Their transport needs add a new dimension to that road or rail decision !

There is a danger that the inability to process fast and reliable rail traffic between Thirroul and Waterfall will impede the living potential of the entire south coast.  Sleepy little holiday and fishing villages between Wollongong and Nowra are fast developing into major towns and the attraction of both the sea and the temperature moderation that goes with it is attracting a growing segment of the Australian population.  The population density along this area of the coastline will continue to increase.

The decision to proceed with the F-6 has been taken, but that study on a rail tunnel needs to remain relevant. Funding may be impossible immediately, but the sheer volume of people will make it an absolute necessity in the near future.