The group points to what’s happening in regional Victoria where the government there has a $1.7 billion Regional Rail Revival plan to upgrade every regional passenger train line in the state, creating more than 1,000 jobs.

Orange Rail Action Group member Cr Jo McRae said looking at the Victorian experience there was significant potential for an early morning train out of Orange.

“There’s been a spectacular revival in regional passenger rail travel brought about by the regional project combined with new trains, refurbished locomotive hauled trains and a revamped regional passenger timetable introduced after public consultation with more than 13,000 regional Victorians over two years,” she said.

“V/Line is experiencing record patronage growth, with 19.3 million customer trips taken on its train and coach services in 2016-17.”

Cr McRae said one Victorian rail corridor with similarities to Orange-Sydney was Warrnambool-Melbourne.

The distance from Warrnambool to Melbourne was 255 kilometres while Orange to Sydney was 246 kilometres

The population of regional Warrnambool was 41,051 and Orange 41,000 but Orange had the added advantage of smaller centres like Millthorpe and Blayney on the line and Bathurst with a similar population of 41,000.

“Warrnambool has four Melbourne trips each way weekdays and three on weekends with early morning departures at 5.56am and then 9.24am, 2.06pm and 5.40pm,” Cr McRae said.

“The last train back from Melbourne arrives at Warrnambool at 10.27pm.

“The Victorian Government has just carried out a $114 million Warrnambool line upgrade as part of the regional rail revival that will enable VLocity trains, the highest-speed trains in the Victorian fleet, to run to Warrnambool for the first time this month.

“It will give the regional city five daily Melbourne services.

“Yet we are still unable to convince the NSW government the benefits to the Orange region if we had only one direct early service a day.

“Warrnambool’s population is forecast to grow by 30 per cent in the next 20 years because of the rail transport options.

“Think what good rail could do for Orange.”