Passenger Rail

Construction complete on Newcastle light rail

Major construction work on Newcastle’s light rail line has come to end, with the remainder of Hunter and Scott streets to open on Saturday for the launch event for the restored Newcastle Station.

The city’s light rail line, set to open in early 2019, will run between Wickham and Newcastle East via six stations.

Construction on the project started on Hunter Street in September last year and, over the past 12 months, has included the installation of 5.5 kilometres of light rail track, the replacement of century-old sewerage infrastructure and upgrades to approximately 3.5 kilometres of footpaths in partnership with the City of Newcastle.

Revitalising Newcastle program director, Michael Cassel, said that the past year had seen the delivery of the largest infrastructure programme in decades.

“This is a watershed moment for Newcastle,” Cassel said.

“The fences are coming down to reveal a new and improved Hunter Street, 6,000 square metres of former rail corridor has been delivered as community greenspace, and the restored Newcastle Station will hold its grand public opening with a free event tomorrow night.”

Cassel applauded the effort that had been put into the project from the thousands who have worked on the site over the past year.

“More than 3,000 individuals have worked on the Newcastle Light Rail site, ranging from engineers to excavator drivers, and each person has contributed to this project being kept on time, and on budget,” he said.

In October, a public event will be held on Market Street Lawn, featuring free entertainment, food stalls, and opportunities to walk through a new light rail vehicle.

The first light rail vehicle arrived earlier this month. Testing will begin on the line next month.

This weekend, the restored Newcastle Station will be launched. From Saturday until Christmas, it will host monthly night markets.

“With light rail construction complete, the streets clear, and new public spaces open to the community, the conditions are right for the city to come alive,” Cassel said.

“Over the coming months, Novocastrians will see more light rail movements up and down the track as everything from brakes to bells are meticulously checked for safety and performance prior to the service opening early next year.”