Mr GRANT McBRIDE: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Transport. Will the Minister update the House on rail infrastructure spending in New South Wales?

Mr JOHN WATKINS: In New South Wales we are currently undertaking an unprecedented level of investment in every facet of our rail system—in safety, rolling stock and infrastructure.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Terrigal will cease his running commentary.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: He should listen to this; there is some good oil here.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Willoughby will cease interjecting.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: It is the biggest rail infrastructure investment in New South Wales since before the Second World War. As I told 700 delegates to the AusRail Plus conference this morning, we are investing $4 billion in new rolling stock for the CityRail network, $1.8 billion on our rail clearways project to untangle our rail system, and $43 million on easy access upgrades at our railway stations. We are investing $16.5 million on a trial of automatic train protection, a safety recommendation arising from the Waterfall royal commission, not to mention work underway on a billion dollar metropolitan rail expansion program and the $2.29 billion Epping-Chatswood rail link.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: I am exhausted just reading the list. Imagine the men and women out there doing the work. It is an extraordinary list.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order for the second time. The House will come to order.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: I also made the point this morning that it is an exciting time to be in the rail business with record numbers of investment, not just in New South Wales but also throughout Australia and the world. I do not know why the member for Willoughby is so upset. She has had a good year. She won her seat in March. The local Federal member won his seat just in November, and that is not something I can claim in my electorate. I face the challenge over the summer months of getting to know a new Federal member of Parliament—new phone numbers and new ways of operating. It is a real challenge. For the benefit of the gallery, my local Federal member is Maxine McKew, which I am very pleased about.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on the Government benches will cease interjecting.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: This is a unique time in transport. We now have the opportunity for the States and the Federal Government to work together for the benefit of rail. No more fussing and fighting. We are going to get on with improving our rail transport system throughout Australia. I look forward to forging ahead in developing a positive relationship between New South Wales, the Federal Government and the new Minister, Mr Albanese. Today I particularly want to say a big thank you in advance to the many rail workers who will be working through the Christmas break. While some of us take time off, they will be working through those hot summer weeks, not only to deliver services for passengers but also to progress some of those major rail infrastructure projects.

To minimise disruption to the rail network we tend to do this essential work during those Christmas weeks and we try to avoid it during the busy weeks of the year. Extensive work will be undertaken on the North Shore line, the Northern line, the Newcastle and Central Coast lines, and the airport, East Hills and South lines during rail close-downs in the December-January holiday period.

Between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, as part of the North Shore line close-down, a substantial amount of work is going to be done on the Chatswood station end of the Epping-Chatswood rail link. This has the interest of the member for Willoughby. Over the Christmas period, more than 300 people will be working on rail projects at the Chatswood, Hornsby and North Sydney stations. These are all benefits from which the member for Willoughby's constituents will benefit. Gladys, there is a Santa Claus, and he is coming to a railway station near you. I will expect a Christmas card in the next couple of weeks. We are also making significant progress on our clearways program.

Ms Gladys Berejiklian: Tell us how much it will cost.

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order for the third time.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: Substantial work is underway on the $231 million Cronulla development. This month works will continue on six projects along the line, while upgrade works continue at Kirrawee and Woolooware stations. Over the next couple of weeks the Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation expects to use a 400-tonne crane to lift a bridge girder into place on the new bridge at Glencoe Street, Sutherland. Works will also continue at Hornsby station. The environmental assessments are on public exhibition for the Kingsgrove to Revesby quadruplication and Macarthur station upgrade and interchange projects.

Mr Alan Ashton: It is all good news.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: It is. Over December and January there will also be substantial work done on the Revesby turn back, including the new footbridge, an additional platform and a new rail bridge across River Road. All of these clearway projects are crucial to ensure that our rail network runs as smoothly as possible.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Murrumbidgee will cease interjecting.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: The Iemma Government is committed to getting on with the job of improving transport services in New South Wales. There are thousands of men and women working to deliver cleaner, more comfortable, more reliable public transport for New South Wales. Again, I thank the staff and contractors, who will be hard at work and continuing our investment while the rest of New South Wales takes a break. Speaking of carefully managing investments, the member for Upper Hunter recently got himself tied up in some trouble with his mobile phone. On 26 November he told the Mudgee Guardian:

I mysteriously started to receive SMS horoscope messages on my mobile phone.

It is not mysterious. If one subscribes to horoscope services, one starts receiving them. He was searching the horoscope to see who the next Leader of the Opposition would be and then he would know whom he would have to befriend.

Mr Adrian Piccoli: It is you.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: I am already his friend.

The SPEAKER: Order! The House will come to order.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: It will be a Christmas of work on our transport system and again I say thank you, on behalf of the New South Wales Government, to all the men and women who do all that great work.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Terrigal will cease interjecting.