# Australia Newcastle-Sydney high-speed rail development > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/australia-newcastle-sydney-high-speed-rail-development > Updated: 2026-08-17T06:54:29.000Z. Sources: 3. Developments: 2. Australia’s proposed $90 billion high-speed rail project linking Newcastle and Sydney has moved into its development phase. Initially, the global construction firm Bechtel was appointed as the delivery partner to oversee a two-year development stage. The project aims to connect Newcastle, the Central Coast, and Sydney, with potential extensions to Western Sydney International Airport. Following the appointment of a delivery partner, the High Speed Rail Authority shortlisted three construction consortia—the Acciona John Holland Joint Venture, the Advanced Alliance Joint Venture, and the GoFar Joint Venture—to participate in an Early Contractor Involvement process. This phase focuses on designing Area Package 1, which involves 35 kilometres of twin tunnels and a new station at Gosford. The project intends to reduce road congestion and aims to enable travel between Newcastle and Sydney in approximately one hour. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-17: Newcastle to Sydney high-speed rail project shortlists construction consortia Three construction consortia have been shortlisted to design the Berowra to Ourimbah section of the Newcastle to Sydney high-speed rail, including 35km of tunnels and a new station at Gosford. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/newcastle-to-sydney-high-speed-rail-project-shortlists-construction-consortia ### 2026-07-19: Bechtel chosen as delivery partner for Australia’s $90bn high‑speed rail project Bechtel has been appointed delivery partner for the development phase of Australia’s $90 billion Newcastle‑Sydney high‑speed rail, with a two‑year design stage and possible operation by 2039. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bechtel-chosen-as-delivery-partner-for-australias-90bn-highspeed-rail-project --- Cite as: Australia Newcastle-Sydney high-speed rail development. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/australia-newcastle-sydney-high-speed-rail-development