The replacement of the regional rail fleet, starting with new XPT trains, is designed to improve the comfort, reliability and speed of the current services.

The new fleet will replace the 60 XPT passenger cars currently operating on the NSW TrainLink network, taking customers between Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Dubbo, and through Orange, Bathurst, Taree, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Casino, Goulburn and Albury.

Deputy Premier Troy Grant and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the funding commitment will see new XPTs in service in the first half of next year, two years earlier than promised.

“We’ve already committed to starting planning for a faster, modern, comfortable country train fleet by 2019, but we’re not going to wait,” Mr Grant said.

“We’re getting the ball rolling now so we can get contracts signed in this term of Government and new trains on our tracks earlier.

“This is a real commitment to rail passengers in the bush and we expect it to also generate regional maintenance jobs.”

Minister Constance said the $50 million funding boost would greatly benefit country travellers.

“We want this to be a great outcome and for that to happen, we need to start talking to industry about the options available and how we get new trains on the track quickly,” he said.

“A new fleet of trains will ultimately require less work to maintain, are more reliable and can be used more often.”

Around one million customers travel on XPTs per year.

Some of the XPTs are nearly 35-years old.