"I've spent half my lifetime working on this project."

Local rail expert Dr Philip Laird wrote his first submission in support of the Maldon to Dombarton rail link way back in 1983.

Decades later, he's more hopeful than ever that the on again-off again rail project linking south-west Sydney with Port Kembla Harbour will finally be delivered. 

"It simply must be built," Philip said. "Support for the project is growing, it's coming from everywhere and the business case in support is now so compelling."

Wollongong's new Lord Mayor Cr Tania Brown, who describes herself as a "champion" of the project, has committed her continuing support. 

Some positive signs

She was pleased last week the NSW Government sent its strongest signal in years that the project may soon be back on track. But it follows a long and at times tortuous journey.

In 1983, work commenced on a direct rail link between Port Kembla and the then largely undeveloped Macarthur region. This comprised upgrading the existing 15km line from Port Kembla to Dombarton (located on the Unanderra-Moss Vale line) and a new 35km link from Dombarton to Maldon.

"Significant construction work was undertaken during the 1980s with 25km constructed through Sydney Water land. It could have been finished in that decade, but an early election was called, the Greiner government came to power, an election promise was broken, and the project was effectively abandoned," Philip Laird said.

Since that time, studies have shown how important this stretch of rail will be, both for the Illawarra and south-west Sydney.

"[Local trade union leader] Arthur Rorris has described this as the most studied piece of half-built infrastructure on the planet."

The business case getting stronger

Philip Laird said the case in support of the rail line has grown appreciably from the early days when the main goal was to take coal to Port Kembla.

He said project supporters want to reduce truck congestion on our roads, provide a public transport passenger link for the thousands who commute daily on the busy and dangerous Picton Road, and offer a quick and reliable rail link from the South Coast to the new Western Sydney Airport.

"Earlier traffic volumes on Mt Ousley Road showed in 2017, the average daily traffic count on this road is 53,018 and, of this, 13% were trucks," Philip said.

"That is nearly 6,900 truck movements a day on this road. What other city in Australia has to put up with this imposition?

"Australia has had a lot of first-class rail projects delivered over the past 30 years but not in Wollongong, Australia's 10th largest city. Regional NSW deserves better, particularly if we're going to help alleviate Sydney's housing crisis."

In the past 18 months there's been a growing chorus of support including from local Councils (Wollongong, Wollondilly, Campbelltown, Shellharbour and Shoalhaven), Business Illawarra, Business Western Sydney, the University of Wollongong, RDA Illawarra/Shoalhaven, and major freight users including Cement Australia, Bluescope and GrainCorp.

Lord Mayor's continued support

Wollongong Lord Mayor Cr Tania Brown said: "I have long supported and championed the need for the Maldon Dombarton rail line to be completed. We know how important access to and from the Illawarra to the western Sydney region is for our economy.

"I was pleased to hear from Premier Chris Minns, when in Wollongong last week, his commitment to advancing the $10 million Rail Resilience Plan, which considers the Maldon Dombarton corridor as part of its deliberations. I will continue to push all levels of government for this investment in our long-term future."

In the Daily Telegraph, NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas described the Western Sydney Airport as a "game changer" and said it required a new rail link between Sydney's west and Port Kembla.

"If you look at it in that context, the Maldon Dombarton line is absolutely critical," said Ms Calfas, adding the current line between Sydney and the Illawarra doesn't have the capacity to handle the freight required to build a new city in the west.

"The western Sydney area is going to have three million people – you've got to get cement there, sand, all those products to build housing and infrastructure – if you don't have rail connectivity from Illawarra to western Sydney, all of that has to go by truck.

"I think it has come off governments' agenda – and it needs to come back on the agenda."

A major economic benefit

A 2021 study by Business Illawarra found the south-west Illawarra rail link would deliver an economic benefit of $2.8 billion to the region by 2036.

Despite all that support, Philip Laird said he was "surprised and disappointed" Transport for NSW's recent Freight Policy Reform: Interim Directions report didn't mention the Maldon Dombarton rail link. "It wasn't even shown on any maps."

He's hoping local state MPs and Ministers Ryan Park and Paul Scully will help get the project back on the agenda and prioritised for completion, and he's buoyed by the backing outside government.

The University of Wollongong has strongly supported the rail connection between the Illawarra and western Sydney to meet the needs of its students.

Taking freight trains off the South Coast line

The Rail Futures Institute said the completion of the 35km link "would allow removal of most freight trains from the increasingly congested Tempe to Wollongong line, including the Waterfall to Thirroul section that has frequent closures due to extreme weather events."

The 2021 Illawarra-Shoalhaven Regional Transport Plan says: "The transport of freight via the shared rail network is constrained by the needs of passenger transport, particularly during morning and afternoon passenger peaks. Transport freight services are often held up for up to 11 hours as passenger services are given priority."

According to Philip Laird, "you can't build your way out of road congestion by building more roads". He says the NSW Government needs to look beyond Sydney.

It's long overdue

"Sydney just soaks up so much money with $64 billion committed for metros, past, present and future. It's long overdue the Illawarra received its share.

"What we definitely don't need is yet another study." 

Philip draws the comparison with another important nation-building project.

"Neville Wran, when reviewing the case for the completion of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway in the 1990s, noted that it had moved from 'not if, but when'.

"The same now applies to completing Maldon Dumbarton. What are we waiting for?"