Albanese concerned about high-speed rail

A rail network linking Melbourne and Brisbane is currently the subject of a federal government study.

But in a speech to the Sydney Institute on Monday night Mr Albanese said building a high-speed rail network would be costly and disruptive.

He said the proposed network would involve laying over 1750 kilometres of track and up to 144 kilometres of tunneling, much of which would need to run directly through Sydney.

It could also create environmental problems, including high noise levels.

"As a High Speed Rail train passes, the noise level will reach 100 decibels", Mr Albanese said, while noting that he was not necessarily arguing against the project.

The NSW government has previously mooted the idea of locating a second airport in Canberra, which could be connected to Sydney by a high-speed rail link.

But Mr Albanese last night said the need for building a second Sydney airport was now plain as the capacity of the existing airport at Kingsford Smith begins to reach its limits:

"It is imperative that we act sooner rather than later," he said while noting a government study that found unmet demand for air travel in Sydney could come with a national cost of $6 billion by 2035 and $34 billion by 2060.

Passenger numbers at Sydney's airport were projected to double by 2035, Mr Albanese said.

"Saying no to a second airport for Sydney is saying no to jobs, no to economic growth, and no to Sydney's future position as a global city," the Minister said. "Sydney is already losing out on economic activity, and growth is slowing compared to its rivals of Melbourne and Brisbane."