Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has kicked off 2022 with a pledge for fast rail between Sydney and Newcastle, should Labor win this year's federal election.
Mr Albanese said on Today that while there had been proposals for high-speed rail in Australia for decades, it was now "more needed than ever".
"What we're seeing is massive growth in Newcastle and the (NSW) Central Coast," he said.
"We're the only island continent that's inhabited on the planet that has not building high-speed rail.
"We know it makes sense for the environment, it makes sense for the economy."
Labor has said it will $500 million to the project, which Communications Minister Paul Fletcher called an election stunt.
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But Mr Albanese said it was a nation-building project that would boost the economy and make a "massive difference" for jobs.
And he envisioned the network expanding further, ultimately between Brisbane and Melbourne.
"We're not pretending you can do it in a year or two," he said.
"This is a project whose time has come, and it's time to advance it."
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