Local Federal Members, Sharon Bird and Stephen Jones, today have indicated that they would be writing to State Minister for Roads and Freight, Duncan Gay, to confirm and clarify his comments on ABC Illawarra this morning that the State Government will be seeking private sector interest for the Maldon Dombarton Rail Line.

While welcoming this new information, if it is accurate, the Federal MPs said that they would like to see the details and information on the funding for this next step in the process.

I have been campaigning to get the Maldon Dombarton Rail Link built for almost a decade. When I first put forward the idea and started the campaign, people thought it was a waste of time and would never get support, Sharon Bird said.

I am very pleased to hear that the NSW Government is approaching the private sector in an effort to get the rail line built. This is in stark contrast to the Abbott Government who recently ripped $50 million of seed funding for the Maldon Dombarton line from the Budget.

Labor had previously invested $25.5 million for preparatory work to get the project shovel ready. We then committed an additional $50 million in seed funding, Stephen Jones said.

The rail link will mean fewer freight trains on the South Coast Line which will then take the pressure off the commuter rail line. It will also mean a direct rail link from Port Kembla to south-west Sydney which will open up new opportunities for employment.

Sharon Bird and Stephen Jones will write to Duncan Gay today seeking further details of this announcement.