Rail passengers keen to travel across the Australian east coast in record time could be one step closer as preliminary drilling begins to determine the high-speed rail route.
The long-anticipated east coast rail project is set to connect Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and regional communities in between.
Drilling has begun on the NSW Central Coast to determine the route of the first stage of the project, to connect Newcastle to Sydney.
Two drill rigs were set up on Monday on the Hawkesbury River and at Brisbane Water in Gosford, with plans to drill six boreholes up to a depth of 140 metres.
They will collect rock and sediment samples to inform the design and depth of potential rail tunnels.
Drill rigs have been set up on the Hawkesbury River and at Brisbane Water in Gosford. (Supplied by Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King/AAP PHOTOS)
About 27 boreholes will be dug across the Sydney to Newcastle region, backed by the federal government's High-Speed Rail Authority.
The government has committed $500 million for the planning and corridor protection of the first stage of the project.
The long-term infrastructure project would ultimately allow passengers to travel between major cities and significant regional cities at more than 250km/h.
Transport Minister Catherine King said the project would help shape the nation.
"High-speed rail means generations of new opportunities for regional Australia, creating more jobs in more locations and giving people greater choices in where they live, work, study and play," she said.
High-Speed Rail Authority chief executive Tim Parker said the project would deliver quick, comfortable and reliable journeys.
"Right now, we're working on how to build a new railway in complex areas and the engineering challenges we would face," he said.
The business case for the Newcastle to Sydney stage is due at the end of the year.