The Federal Government announced renewed funding for the HSR this year and planning is again underway.
Under the Phase Two report presented some time ago, a number of options for stations on the Central Coast were considered.
A route for the VFT was considered passing through Gosford and Woy Woy using the current railway land but this was deemed to be unsuitable.
The route will now follow the M1 route but planners are still undecided how to cross the Hawkesbury River.
Tunneling was considered but the Hawkesbury riverbed’s instability meat the tunnel would have to be an impractical 80 metres underground.
Options for station locations near the Ourimbah zone were assessed, with the preferred location positioned northwest of the Pacific Highway interchange.
It was found that the location provided good access from the regional road network, as it is adjacent to the M1 interchange at Ourimbah.
The location provides access to most of the Central Coast population, with 85 per cent of the population being within a 30-minute drive of the location. Links will be provided with Ourimbah’s conventional rail station, just two kilometres away by road.
Ourimbah may also offer potential staging opportunities and connectivity between the HSR and urban rail networks.
The need for and details of any such connection would be the subject of a future study. From sustainability, land use planning and policy perspective, the location has avoided areas of significance, such as environmental or heritage areas.
The station at this location is expected to be a standard regional station with no major constructability constraints or significant extra costs.
