Government seeks agency to sell its $55bn high-speed rail vision

April 14, 2026 11:22

Concept image of Australia’s proposed high-speed rail network (HSRA)

The federal government is looking for a full-service agency to start promoting Australia’s high-speed rail program before the first tracks are even laid.

The government has kicked off a pitch for an agency to provide high-level communications, digital and creative services starting next month, as it seeks approvals and public buy-in for the program. The first phase of the flagship project, which is being spearheaded by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is estimated to cost $55bn.

Envisioned to eventually link Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, construction on the 320 km/h railway is not expected to begin for at least two years.

Behind the scenes, the government’s dedicated High Speed Rail Authority is gearing up for an extensive engagement program with industry, stakeholders and communities as it progresses design, costs and approvals work.

The agency brief includes developing communications materials to explain the project’s objectives and benefits, running stakeholder engagement activities and events, and providing digital marketing capability.

Video and film production will also be required on an as-needed basis.

The federal government has already committed $659.6m to early-stage planning for the national network, which remains in its development phase, according to the ABC, although no budget for the creative agency has been specified in the tender.

The High Speed Rail Authority is planning to brief prospective agencies this Friday, with the contract earmarked to start on 18 May.

Albanese, who outlined the plans in a Capital Brief op-ed on 4 March titled “Why we’re building high speed rail”, has pointed to the project’s potential to generate $250 billion in economic activity, alongside 99,000 jobs and 160,000 new households in the Hunter region.

“This is a big project worthy of a big nation. While the costs are necessarily high, the returns will be even greater,” he wrote at the time.

The project has become something of a running joke in infrastructure circles, including on the ABC’s Utopia: