New South Wales’ remainder of substantial railway workshops has been put up for sale. Local communities, former railway workers, the local council, and transport experts are intervening to encourage state and federal government support to revitalize the rail industry.
The Lithgow locomotive workshop, owned by Pacific National and reportedly priced around $35m, includes maintenance pit bays and ancillary buildings. The site was acquired by Pacific National after the state privation of its freight services in 2003 and has seen minimal usage since.
Lithgow, the last stop on Sydney’s electrified rail network and the commencement of inland freight routes, may deliver jobs and foster innovation in the regional hub, according to its proponents.
Cass Coleman, Lithgow’s mayor and a descendant of railway employees, compellingly wants the site rescued to serve as a rail manufacturing hub in Australia, underpinning the city’s transition to a net-zero future.
As the coal mining and coal-fired power industry drives almost 50% of Lithgow’s economic activity, the impending 2040 closure of the nearby Mount Piper power plant emphasizes the urgency for alternatives.
Former indoctrination workshop workers worry about speculative privatization that could redline the land, immobilizing its infrastructural potential. Instead, they, alongside Dr. Michelle Zeibots, a transport planner from the University of Technology Sydney, envision a short-term resurrection of the rail workshop with minimal outlays.
With mandated governmental policy insisting on a minimum 50% Australian-made component in rolling stock, there’s a pressing gap for workshops such as Lithgow’s to undertake the much-needed repair and maintenance for train components currently shipped to Victoria.
On top of vocal community support for the chosen Bright Future of Lithgow’s rail workshop, there is remarkable interest from manufacturing sectors looking to harness local expertise or attract international talent to elevate rail manufacturing on a grand scale within Australia.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/05/lithgow-nsw-railway-yard-sale
