Yes, we need an integrated regional transport plan before we start tipping hundreds of millions into contracts.

Sydney’s light rail failed for decades until it was extended to Summer Hill. It now works because it links large populations with mainline rail stations, where many thousands of commuters arrive by train.

The key to attracting and handling the expected 30,000 daily commuters in Newcastle by the 2020s is to lower the intercity railway into a tunnel. This allows more frequent Hunter line trains to attract patronage, and separates trains from road traffic. It is quite impossible to move 30,000 commuters in road vehicles in and out of the streets of the narrow CBD without catastrophic congestion.

Once the heavy work is done by train, most people in the city each day will be walkers, which is good for city retail. Lighter road traffic means buses move faster, and parking is easier. This is how global cities do it, high capacity heavy rail from the outskirts, going underground in the city centre, and buses/trams with only a light passenger load thanks to the trains.

The government should:

* Immediately reinstate trains to Newcastle and stop defying the parliament with its wasteful vandalism and legal bills.

* Seek actual bids for tunnel concepts and construction costings as a matter of urgency.

* Commence electrifying the line from Hamilton to Maitland, being the most cost-effective way to increase Hunter line trains to four per hour, which is why they suffer low patronage.

Finally, thank you to Awabakal LALC for reminding the ­government that this rail corridor has a public purpose, and that the indigenous community must have a say in its use. I would encourage everyone to look at Syntagma Metro station in Athens, a cut-and-cover rail tunnel excavated in 2001, where ancient artifacts of aqueducts and daily life are beautifully exhibited in the station halls and platforms. 

See www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLvTBkmtqzU

Let’s all work together to revitalise Newcastle city centre by ­uniting the city and waterfront with a rail tunnel to handle ­commuter surges and special event demand, with culturally respectful excavation, and with the contribution of developers and genuine public consultation. That is the way forward for our beautiful harbourside destination.

- FRANCIS YOUNG