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Rail passengers will have to wait until 2028 before the NSW government’s multibillion-dollar fleet of new long-distance passenger trains enters service, five years later than originally planned.

In warning that a lack of trains was hampering efforts to put on extra services, Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison revealed the new Spanish-built regional fleet was now scheduled to be introduced into service in 2028, blaming the previous Coalition government for botching the project.

“They put it in a complicated public-private partnership, which we’ve bought out now so that we can actually speed up the delivery,” she said on Monday.

“They were taking 17 days on the production line in Spain. They’re now taking five days.”

The new long-distance trains were ordered by the previous Coalition government for key interstate rail lines from Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, as well as for services to regional centres in NSW. Under the original plans, the first train was meant to enter service in January 2023.

The NSW government has previously declined requests to reveal when the new fleet will enter passenger service. So far, 11 of the 29 trains are in NSW after being shipped from Spain, and three of those are undergoing intensive testing.

The first of the new trains to carry passengers will be on the line between Sydney and Dubbo, where a maintenance facility has been built for the new fleet. They will need approval by the national rail safety regulator before they can enter service.

The cost of the fleet, which was ordered to replace the state’s decades-old XPT, Xplorer and Endeavour trains, blew out by $826 million to $2.29 billion in 2023. From our partners

The repeated delays to the new regional trains come as $100 million will be spent on upgrades to the 321-kilometre rail line between Sydney and Canberra, half of which will be funded by the Commonwealth, and the rest split between the NSW and ACT governments.

Aitchison said the lack of “additional trains on the track” was styming the government’s ability to boost services on the Sydney-Canberra line. “The capacity is limited. I’ve got people all over NSW that want an extra train but unfortunately [they] weren’t ordered properly and weren’t delivered properly by the former government,” she said.

A train trip between Sydney and Canberra takes about four hours and 15 minutes, which the NSW government hopes to cut to under four hours. In comparison, a car journey is three hours.

Years-long delays to the rollout of the Spanish-built regional fleet, as well as new intercity trains, have forced the government to keep decades-old fleets in service for longer. About $40 million has been spent on upgrading the XPT fleet, which was originally meant to be retired by 2023.

Last year the NSW auditor-general was withering in an assessment of Transport for NSW’s handling of the purchase of both the regional and intercity train fleets, the combined cost of which has blown out by more than 50 per cent on original forecasts to $6.8 billion.

The long-neglected Canberra to Sydney railway line is a step closer to crucial upgrades needed to slash the 4.5-hour trip between the two capitals.

Tuesday's federal budget will include $50 million for "priority works" like new boom gates and lights at level crossings, improvements to track alignments and turnouts and station and tabling improvements, and the first steps toward further changes.

With matched funding of $25 million each from the ACT and NSW governments, the project will allocate $100 million to initial improvements and kick off planning and design for the next phase - which could include passing loops, track recanting and straightening.

It is also expected to fund investigations into new express services.

Finance and Public Service Minister and ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher said improving the Sydney-Canberra rail line would "make train travel between the two cities faster and a more attractive option for travellers."

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King said she would work with her ACT and NSW counterparts to "get shovel-ready works underway while we also plan for long-term improvements that will make a real difference".

Both jurisdictions had identified ways to "quickly implement timetable improvements and quick infrastructure fixes to speed up travel times," Ms King said.

More than 3000 people travel between Sydney and Canberra by air (a one-hour journey) or coach (three and a half hours) every day, with tens of thousands more driving down the Federal Highway (three hours).

"So many of these regular commuters have consistently called for a more frequent and faster rail alternative," she said.

The federal government will work with network operators and transport departments to determine the most cost-effective interventions, with an immediate focus on improvements to the line between Goulburn and Canberra.

This would complement trackwork already underway on the ARTC Southern Highlands line between Goulburn and Sydney.

The funding will also be used for a business case to map out network upgrades and timetable improvements to help to improve efficiency and travel times for passenger services over the coming years.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said Canberrans "deserve a modern rail link between the ACT and Sydney that's faster, reliable and comfortable".

"It's something I've advocated for the best part of a decade," Mr Barr said.

"It's a promise we took to the ACT election. And finally, today we have a funding commitment that will make faster rail a reality and that recognises the importance of this project for our region."

ACT independent senator David Pocock had also advocated for improvements to the railway line, which carries just 21 three-carriage passenger train services in each direction each week.

A parliamentary inquiry in 2024 recommended that the Commonwealth government prioritise Sydney to Canberra rail connectivity and capacity and Infrastructure Australia has listed it as a top priority.

NSW Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison said the project would "improve travel times between Canberra and Sydney, as well as communities like Queanbeyan, Goulburn and also those in the Southern Highlands line."

"In addition to the significant investment by the NSW government in the new Regional Rail fleet, currently in testing, passengers can soon look forward to having smoother, more comfortable and more efficient journeys between our two capital cities, and for regional communities between Sydney and Melbourne."

The upgrades are expected to start this year and take up to five years to complete.

The 321-kilometre Canberra to Sydney rail corridor includes the Sydney Trains-operated line between Sydney Central station and Macarthur, the ARTC-operated Southern Line through the Southern Highlands to Goulburn, and the UGL Regional Linx-operated Country Regional Network (CRN) branch line into Canberra.

The funding will increase the corridor's capacity, reliability and efficiency, complementing the NSW government's investment in new Regional Rail fleet trains, which will start serving the line once testing and commissioning are complete.

The Albanese government has allocated almost $2.8 billion to date to improve the resilience of the ARTC's freight rail network and deliver high-speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney.