Sydney to Melbourne XPTs don't commonly used the Main Southern railway line Between Lidcombe and Glenfield.

The XPT service runs two return trips each day between Melbourne and Sydney, making scheduled stops at Broadmeadows, Seymour, Benalla, Wangaratta, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Junee, Cootamundra, Yass Junction, Goulburn, Moss Vale, Campbelltown and Central with optional stops at Culcairn, Henty, The Rock, Harden and Gunning.

Further, in 2013 the entire Hume Highway was completed as a dual carriageway, whereas the rail line is still single-track in some places – a significant impediment to continuous running.

In a climate of long-term failure to prioritise investment in rail and with earlier completion in mind, funding has most often gone to projects with smaller deviations over shorter distances.

[6] Another proposal involved use of tilting trains, which can travel through curved sections of track at speeds of up to 170 km/h (110 mph) and reduce the 11-hour journey time between Sydney and Melbourne to about six hours.

Although a 2008 Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) report documented plans for a few minor deviations to be completed by 2014,[8] as of 2023[update] the work had not started.

[citation needed] Based on the international definition of a minimum top speed of 200 km/h (120 mph) in passenger service, high-speed rail in Australia does not yet exist.

Numerous proposals for high-speed rail infrastructure in Australia (also known as very fast train projects) have been conducted since the early 1980s,[9] but none has proceeded further.

Various combinations of the route between Melbourne, Canberra, Goulburn, Sydney, Newcastle, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast and Brisbane have been the subject of detailed investigation by prospective operators, government departments and advocacy groups.