The community asks the Minister for Regional Transport NSW (Jenny Aitchison) that funding be made available for the rehabilitation of the old South Maitland Railway (SMR) coal rail line from Maitland to Cessnock, extending to MIllfeild, by re-introducing a passenger Service and creating new platforms and stops to reflect, current and future development along the line. 

Funding for:

1)  The purchase of the line for the transport services

(2) For the establishment of stops along the line that dovetail with present and proposed developments along the line, and to maximise the public good for the areas, between Maitland and Cessnock extending to Pelton and the local towns in the environs of Cessnock.

(3) The Renewal of sleepers and rails that may have deteriorated over the period the line has not been used for passenger Services.

(4) Two passing loops and appropriate signalling, to ensure that  more than one service can operate on the line at a time, and ensure a regular and timely service for a passenger service,  plus one passing loop at the end of the line at Pelton to properly manage the trains and provide appropriate stabling and turnaround facilities, this may incorporate lines both sides of a station that enables a  flexible changing of trains needed for the next services to Maitland.

(5) Appropriate signalling, supporting   road crossings.

(6) suitable Car parking facilities at all Stops, 

(7) Suitable Bus stops and Turning areas to support the Stops and support bus infrastructure.

End Motion

justification for a new service before 2030

The old  (SMR) coal rail corridor operated by the South Maitland Railway (SMR)  until 1975, and operated as a passenger service until its demise, the demise is said to because of the increased use of motor vehicles for commuting, during the period after its closure it,  until recently, operated as a tourist railway on occasions, which stopped because of an ownership change and lack of maintenance. 

 Until 1972 it supported the local community in the area then in 1975, the siding to the Cessnock station was removed and the last train from Cessnock to Maitland was in August 1975.

When the station buildings were removed, to become an industrial development site, the site of old station was then built on and therefore the old site is not a viable location for the rehabilitated line.

The New station at Cessnock

The reinstatement of the old siding line from the Paxton line to the old location of Cessnock station was no longer possible or desirable. Any new service must include passengers from Maitland and Pelton via the old Paxton colliery line to Cessnock.  Because passengers from Pelton and Bellbird may need to stop at Cessnock, whereas a siding from the line will not accommodate this, and is impractical for Cessnock bound passengers and therefore cannot be reinstalled, to accommodate passengers beyond a new Cessnock station on the line, e.g. Bellbird or Pelton passengers, who wish to travel to Cessnock for work or leisure a new station on the line will be required.

Therefore, there must be a proposal to build a new station at Cessnock, although not as close to the CBD as the old one would have been , the construction of a new station building would include carparks and a bus stops around the intersection of the old railway with Vincent Street, and would be a viable alternative to the old station, and may require a shuttle service to the CBD of Cessnock.

What has changed?

The old coal rail corridor operated by the South Maitland Railways (SMR) until 1967 and operated as a passenger service until 1975, its demise was said to be the increase used of motor vehicles for commuting by commuters.

What has changed over the years, is that the population of the regions of Maitland and Cessnock have increased and are set to increase exponentially, over the next few years up to 2041which is  the  date of the next planning strategic plan), already in 2026 traffic on the roads are causing severe traffic congestion at peak times both mornings an evening, with  the prospects of more cars on the roads, caused by increased housing and population, roads will have to be widened and made more streamlined, this scenario is why most regions incorporate light rail system or if they have a heavy rail, in place increase the amenity of it, which generally cost substantial sums of money.

The railway line even in its unmaintained status  is a fortunate legacy of the day when coal was being transported from local collieries as far as Paxton near Cessnock by the South Maitland railways(SMR) and  the Richmond vale Railways to the Coal ships at the port of Hexham for export, Hexham,  which was the early port for the shipment of high grade Newcastle coal  to Sydney,  and beyond, even to Whyalla South Australia to help make steel for export to the world.

Populations increasing in the region

The population of both Maitland LGA and Cessnock LGA are Growing at phenomenal rates in 2026.

There are new residential urban developments planned, in Bellbird, Cliftleigh and Gillieston Heights and Paxton (ref 2041 Strategic plan.).

Both LGAs and regional Areas are right at the top of the growth rates in the State of NSW. 

In Maitland alone it is estimated between 2021 and 2041 the population will increase by 44,000, and provide 11,500 jobs, Cessnock LGA is to reach 112,000 by 2041, according to Cessnock council, which is nearly twice the 2021 census data figure.

This will simply mean that housing in the region will mushroom and traffic on the roads will be hard to manage with the current road network, which means that a good underlying public transport system based around a regular rail service will be essential as demonstrated in many other parts of the State to manage population movements, for every-day commuting.

This means that there is a roll for rail into the future in Maitland and Cessnock:  This rail corridor in operation, provides that opportunity for an efficient regular service, to offset Road expenditure in the region.

Proposed Rail Stops from Maitland on the redeveloped Railway to Cessnock:

(Stop No. 1)  On leaving Maitland Station The first rail stop on the line is the old East Greta Junction station , The Line firstly turns south off the main Hunter line, and then goes to the first stop,  at the old East Greta Junction station, which services Telarah, The hunter  Trade School, and the South Maitland Railway Museum.

Stop No. 2) This stop will be called the  “Ryans Road” Stop, (looking forward to Ryans Road Connecting to Simpsons lane, a new stop on the Railway,  this stop services , Gillieston Heights and the Gillieston Public school about 1200 metre south on Ryans Road corners with Gillieston Rd and Northview Street, this is  a school that  is under redevelopment in 2026 and is due to be completed in 2027, the project will be adding 32 new class rooms to the school, a meeting hall, a new canteen, and the replacement of 24 demountable buildings, with new class rooms., the total funding for the project is 65.1 Million dollars. This stop will accommodate approximately 500 new homes, with more planned soon, and should include a car park and bus turning bay.

(Stop No. 3) Will be at the intersection of The Railway with Kiah Road, this stop provides easy access from Gillieston Heights via Saddlers Drive and Cartwright Street. 

This stop will be called Kiah Road and will probably be sited near the old platform, of the Former East Greta Railway Station on the south side of Kiah Road, the site should incorporate a car park and a Bus stop, With a turning area. 

(Stop No. 4) is near the old former Aberdare stop, which is west of the new Loxford Estate, which will service the Loxford Estate, as well as the new Wallis Estate opposite the Loxford Estate on main Road, this stop will also service the new community centre proposed in the Loxford Estate, and the new proposed shopping precinct,  which will be part of the new Loxford Estate. This Stop will be called after the locality on the old map” Wangara” and have a car park and bus turnaround zone in its final form.

(Stop No.5) This stop will be at the intersection of the planned extension of William Testers Drive and the Railway Line, serving Cliftleigh and the new Avery’s Lane Estates.  A bus services will be provided from this suburb and from Kurri to this stop., the stop will have a an appropriately sized car park and bus stop, the name of the stop will be “Cliftleigh” and have a car park and bus turnaround zone in its final form.

Stop No. 6) This stop will be at the intersection of the railway and Bowditch Avenue in the locality of Loxford, it will service Kurri Kurri TAFE and Heddon Greta Speedway, the Kurri power station, and ancillary industries in the area. The stop will be called “Loxford”.

Stop No.7) This Stop will incorporate the Old Station platform at Kurri Kurri. in Railway Parade. This Stop will service Kurri Kurri, Pelaw main and the western End of Weston, it should be provided with a large car park and bus stop and shelter. So that shoppers can access the town of Kurri, Maitland and Green Hills shopping Centres by public bus transport.

Revitalizing the town of Weston

(Stop No. 8) This Stop services the town of Weston and is situated at the intersection of Scott streets and Stations Street Weston, it is in the vicinity of the old station platform, and should provide a car park and bus stop, it is situated in the old town centre which has been largely by-passed by road access, it is an important historic town, in the region a should be rebuilt, and still has  three old pubs buildings operating into recent times, providing meals and accommodation. There is a medical centre in station street across first street , there was a Butcher who went out of business in Station St some years ago because of the inability of competing with supermarket pricing, with the advent of a new rail service there will be more activity in the town again  again to services and shop commerce in the town may be revived, a thrifty shop stands empty in Station street, and the Weston Workers Club is walking distance from the station stop as well as with  the football oval. 

The old Thrifty store has been replaced by a food mart close by, which provides grocery items when the town was a functioning as a town, with the advent of a railway service in this forgotten town, the town may be revived a little, and more properties may be opened to commerce in the future . And of course, the name of the stop will be “Weston”. We are about half way along this Railway and most of the stops along the line have been stops under the previous rail passenger service, with one notable exception, the stop at Cessnock, will no longer be a siding to the station but  will be a stop that enables commuters to alight from both directions, from Maitland and  from Bellbird or Pelton.

The decline of Weston

Weston is small town on the Weston edge of Kurri Kurri, some years ago it, had a passenger rail service, this service ended about !975, after the line was closed, around 1983, a road diversion was made in the town that truncated the main Road from Cessnock Road,

With loss of the rail service and main road from Cessnock, both happening to the town, within an eight-year period, it became a back water to the region, and the small town did not develop as it should have.

Many of community see the bridge over the railway as the cause of the isolation of the town as an impediment to flow of traffic from Weston to Kurri and to Cessnock. Two solutions may solve the problem created by the bridge over the railway, which has created a no right turn at the end of Cessnock Road replaced by a right into first street to travel over the bridge over the railway.  This has created the isolation of part of the old town, which discouraged threw traffic and development of the town.

Option (1) to ensure the ability to connect to the Northcote Road, by completing a right hand turn over the bridge, traffic lights would need to be installed to enable the right-hand turn, with an appropriate turning lane.

Option (2) A new bridge would have to be constructed from the end of Cessnock Road across to Northcott Road, giving options to turn into Appleton Av, and hospital Roads. This would be by far the costliest option to save the township of Weston and ensure a vibrant hub around a new Weston railway station rail stop.

Stop No. 9) This is the Abermain Stop, which is about 400metre west of Orange Street on Cessnock Road, which is one of main intersection used by most drivers to get to Cessnock from the Hunter Express Way. The stop will service the small town of Abermain, and the stop will continue to be called “Abermain”.

Stop No. 10) This is the Neath Stop, which will use the old stop platform about 100 metres west of Carrs Road Neath, 

This stop will service Neath Hotel and provided appropriate car Parks and bus stops on Cessnock Road, which are existing stops, and service the township of Neath and shall be called “Neath”.

Stop No. 11) This stop is the old stop at Caledonia Street Railway platform near the Corner of Cessnock Street. extension and Collier Street, it will service the suburban areas of Cessnock around Aberdare and Kearsley, Elrington, Abernethy and Kitchener, appropriate bus services will stop at this railway stop to provide a complete service, an appropriately sized car park should be provided at this stop and the stop will be called “Caledonia”.

New location for the Cessnock Station

Stop No. 12) This will be the stop for the township of Cessnock, as explained earlier, and, it will be a new station complex in the line of the of redeveloped corridor from Paxton colliery railway .The stop could be placed at intersection of the old coal line where it crosses Vincent street, the station buildings could be situated on the Northern side the line , and incorporate car parks and bus interchange, that would provide a shuttle to nearly sporting venues and the Cessnock CBD, it would service sports fields an Kitchener and Quorrobolong

The stop will be provided with a new bus stop and appropriate bus services., the stop will have a large car park and in time be provided with a shuttle to the Centre of the town of Cessnock, to meet the train. This will service the CBD of Cessnock and inner-city housing.

Therefore, by reinstating the old siding from the Paxton colliery line to the old Cessnock station, is impractical, because if passengers beyond a new Cessnock station wish to travel there for work or leisure from the west they cannot stop at the old location of the station.

Therefore, a proposal to build a new station, although not as close to the centre of the city as the old one would’ve been, by constructing of a new station building, at Vincent street at the crossing of the railway south of the town, on the south side of the railway. 

Stop No. 13) Bellbird stop, this stop is south of Wollombi Road opposite the intersection with Bell Street Bellbird., This stop will service all of Bellbird and bellbird heights. It will have an appropriately sized carpark and be serviced by bus service along Wollombi Road and will incorporate a multi bay bus stop.

Stop No. 14) The last stop on the line will be 200metres east of the rail Bridge over Wollombi Road, it will occupy the land between the Wollombi Road and the railway reserve and will incorporate a platform  and station building, a car parks, and a bus stop on the Wollombi road on both sides of the road with a pedestrian crossing with lights. The Stop will service Paxton via Middle Road and Ellalong via Ellalong Road, plus Millfield and Wollombi Road, and Wollombi via Wollombi Road.

The old coal rail corridor, from Maitland to Cessnock, is a fortunate legacy of the day when coal was being transported from South Maitland to the ship at the port of Hexham.

This Rail corridor operated as a freight and passenger line from 1904 to 1975 with the hub station in Vincent Street Cessnock, after which the station was demolished and replace by industrial buildings.

The decline of Weston

Weston is  a small town on the Weston edge of Kurri Kurri, for some years, it had a passenger rail service, this service ended about !975, after which the line was closed,  in around 1983 a road diversion was made in the town that truncated the main Road from Cessnock,

with loss of the rail service and main road from Cessnock, the old town became a back water to the region, and the small town did not develop as it should have,

Many of community see the rail bridge over the railway, as the cause of the isolation of the town as a main impediment to flow of traffic from Weston to Kurri and to Cessnock a through Weston. Two solution may solve the problem created by the bridge constructed about 1983 that was then i feed by a left turn off the Cessnock Road  at Station street, and then an immediate right turn into First street to travel over the bridge and to Kurri, the old road ended at First street with the only option at the end of the Cessnock road, being  a left turn into first street or straight on into Government road, which gives no option to cross the railway or to continue on to Kurri. 

There are two potential solutions:

Option (1) allows access to Northcote Road by enabling a right turn over the bridge. This requires traffic lights and a dedicated turning lane for effective traffic management.

Option(2) A new bridge would have to be constructed from the end of Cessnock Road to Appleton Av over the railway with the provision to turn into Hospital Road on the other side of   George Smith Reserve and then provide a priority turn into Northcote Road from Appleton Road. This would be by far the costliest option and the most logical option to save the township of Weston and ensure a vibrant hub around a new Weston station rail stop.

Rolling stock for the services

The State of New South Wales (NSW) is in a fortunate position in 2026, because it is replacing many of its regional trains, including the XPT fleet with new Spanish made CAF trains.

As part of the purchase the NSW Government Is replacing, its Explorer fleet and its Adventurer Fleet, which will leave several older model Com Eng. Trains not in use. These surplus train and locos will be ideal to be used on a rejuvenated Maitland to Cessnock line in 2028.

Passing Loops

It is envisaged to incorporate up to Three passing loops on the line two on the line between Maitland and Cessnock, and one at the terminus at Pelton. 

The passing loop at Pelton would simply be a rail line down both sides of a platform, which meet into one line which enables a train the access both platforms, enabling two trains to leave consecutively after each other. The dual tracks after the stop, will be long enough to stable two trains.

Other loops along the line will be using signalling to enable passing trains to either Cessnock or to Maitland.

It would be envisaged that up to 4 trains sets be dedicated to the line and trains be stabled at Maitland and Pelton.

This rail line extending to Pelton will be instrumental to service series of new urban areas, including, Gillieston heights, Cliftleigh, Weston, Cessnock, bellbird and Paxton.

By David Holland

B.A.S Environmental Planning (1995)

M. Environmental Mgmt. (natural Resources) (2017)

date of post: 1/5/2026