The Government is committed to the long overdue revitalisation of Newcastle. Since 2011, over $1 billion has been committed to Newcastle and the broader Hunter region for vital new infrastructure, including $650 million in funds from Restart NSW for projects including Newcastle light rail, urban renewal and the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, and $350 million for the Hunter Infrastructure Investment Fund for a range of projects across the region. The next step is to build a vibrant transport network throughout the region to improve connectivity, reduce travel times and support Newcastle's tourism sector.

On 5 November, the Government announced it would create Transport for Newcastle and seek a world class multi-modal transport operator to plan and run Newcastle Light Rail, buses, ferries and interchanges. The new operator will be based in Newcastle and work hand-in-hand with the community to design and run a better transport network. This will be public transport run in Newcastle, for Novocastrians, not run from Sydney.

The Government will retain full control of fares in Newcastle. Further information about the best way to contract these services will be developed during the market sounding process