This week's Minute with Mayor McKibbin

February 12, 2026

During the last week the Central West Joint Organisation (JO) has been reviewing the NSW Government's Draft Central West and Orana Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan(SRITP) and the Sydney to Central West Corridors White Paper (White Paper).

The White Paper deals with the road and rail transport routes across the Blue Mountains and the SRITP with the far wider regional transport planning for the Central West.

The White Paper states "lnfrastructure Australia recognises the Great Western Highway as a route of strategic signiﬁcance, supporting east-west freight and economic growth. lts assessments emphasise the need for a ﬁt for purpose highway that can accommodate high productivity vehicles and expanded freight by rail. However, it also acknowledges the highway's physical constraints -particularly through the Blue Mountains - and the impact this has on freight efﬁciency and network resilience."

The JO therefore believes action should be taken by Federal and State Governments to ensure there is a ﬁt for purpose highway and an efﬁcient freight and passenger rail service across or through the sandstone curtain.

The JO has in its response to these documents emphasised that further investigation is not required but implementation is essential. Ensuring a greater share of freight is carried by rail is crucial with the curfew and rail restrictions in the Sydney basin being overcome to reduce costs and increase efﬁciency so that NSW rail freight usage as a percentage of total freight movements can increase inline with United States, Canadian and European experience. Whilst Transport for NSW advocates greater frequency of passenger rail services to Bathurst and beyond it does not suggest solutions. The JO submits that a priority must be in straightening the alignment between Blayney and Lithgow to allow new regional trains to travel at medium speeds of up to 160kmh. No one is suggesting that very fast trains are an economically feasible or a practical solution but medium speed trains using conventional rail lines are feasible.

Whilst safety upgrades are being undertaken on Bells Line of Road this will have limited impact on congestion. The Great Western Highway still is the major route for car and freight across the Blue Mountains. Neither the SRITP or White paper proposes as a matter of urgency completing the Blackheath to Medlow Bath and Melow Bath to Katoomba dual carriageway designed in 2022. The solution proposed from Blackheath to the base of Mt Victoria involves trafﬁc management systems to allow alternate trafﬁc to descend and ascend Victoria Pass. There is also a proposal for B doubles to decouple prior to descent or ascent of Victoria Pass. There is no proposal as to how the decoupled trailer traverses this section. These proposals are not solutions but band aids that will not relieve congestionon weekends or Public Holidays or solve the freight issue of not permitting access by B Doubles on this route.

The Orana and Central West provide food, minerals (gold, rare earths, coal and copper), energy (increasingly so with renewable projects) and it is proposed to become the dumping ground for Sydney waste, yet the NSW and Federal Governments neglect this region through failing to provide a ﬁt for purpose Sydney to Central West Corridor for road and rail.

The region in January 2026, as we all know, has experienced above average temperatures and below average rainfall. Hopefully as I write this column the region will receive signiﬁcant rain fall to replenish the regions reservoirs and boost our crops and pasture. The autumn period will be crucial for ensuring the prosperity of our farming and livestock enterprises and the prosperity of many of our towns and villages.

Andrew McKibbin
Mayor