Lithgow Mayor Cassandra Coleman has today called on the NSW and Australian Governments to jointly acquire the Pacific National Rail Yard Site, a nationally significant rail manufacturing and refurbishment precinct located in the heart of Lithgow.
The Pacific National rail yard is the last western stop of the electrified Sydney line, the first step onto the Main Western freight corridor, and sits at the crossroads of the key road access routes to Sydney, being the Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road.
If strategically activated, this crucial piece of rail infrastructure would be a major catalyst to transform Lithgow's local economy.
Mayor Coleman stressed that Government ownership of the site would demonstrate a commitment to NSW's economic transformation and developing a skilled workforce, while clearly aligning with national policy.
Mayor Coleman has called upon both Governments to take action to secure this asset saying "I am calling directly on our State and Federal Governments to step in now, together, with the local community and acquire the Pacific National rail yards site for the people of NSW and Australia. This collaborative approach would actively assist the economic transition required for a regional community that has been a leader in supplying power to NSW for over a century".
A joint Government activation would soften the impact of Net Zero policies on a city that generates nearly 50% of its current economic activity through the coal mining and coal fired power industry. With approximately 1,100 direct local jobs including miners, power station workers, and contractors set to be lost over the coming decade, a joint government activation will provide a pathway to new jobs and local economic activity.
