Tuesday’s Federal Budget will include $50 million in Commonwealth funding, matched by $25 million each from the ACT and NSW Governments, to deliver early works and planning to improve performance on the long-neglected corridor.

Pocock said he has long advocated for a faster rail connection between Sydney and Canberra, including through multiple pre-budget submissions, and described the new funding as a “welcome” but limited first step.

While acknowledging progress on what he called a “faster, if not fast” rail link, Pocock warned the investment was “tokenistic” compared to larger federal commitments elsewhere, pointing to billions allocated to Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop and funding for other intercity rail planning.

He said there is still no clear timeline for upgrades, nor any indication of how much travel time would be reduced. “These are the details Canberrans will want to see,” he said, adding that he hopes the announcement signals renewed cooperation between the federal, NSW and ACT governments.

The current Sydney-Canberra rail service remains limited and slow, with about 21 three-carriage passenger services operating each week in each direction. Pocock contrasted this with other intercity routes, arguing the disparity reduces reliability and discourages rail use for commuters and travellers.

He also reiterated broader concerns that the current rail journey of around 4.5 hours limits the economic and environmental potential of rail between the capital and Sydney, and called for more ambitious investment in higher-speed services, potentially extending through regional centres such as Goulburn and Yass as part of a staged upgrade approach.

That staged model is supported in planning work by Fastrack Australia, which proposes incremental upgrades to the existing corridor rather than a full replacement line. Its 2023 plan envisions successive improvements culminating in a potential 90-minute Sydney-Canberra trip after multiple stages of works.

Greens spokesperson for transport Andrew Braddock said the funding follows sustained political pressure, including a motion passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly in November 2023 calling for co-ordinated federal, ACT and NSW investment in high-speed rail.

Braddock said the $50 million commitment should be seen only as an initial step, arguing that far greater investment will be needed if the project is to deliver “fast, clean and reliable transport” for the region.

The Property Council said the funding reflects long-standing calls for staged upgrades to improve reliability, journey times and housing and economic outcomes along the corridor.

The group said the current rail service is “too slow and unreliable” to compete with driving or flying, and argued that upgrades would improve productivity by better linking Canberra with Sydney’s broader economic network while supporting housing development around station precincts.

The council described the funding as a “first step,” urging governments to maintain a co-ordinated partnership approach to ensure early works and planning translate into longer-term upgrades capable of significantly reducing travel times and modernising the corridor.