The Baird government wants to give Transport Minister Andrew Constance the power to rip up railways lines in the greater Sydney area that are on land needed for "state-significant" infrastructure, bypassing the need for parliamentary approval.

In the wake of the controversial closure of the Newcastle rail line, the government has tabled changes that would, if passed, allow the minister to shut lines for large-scale infrastructure in an area spanning from Port Stephens in the north to Kiama in the south, and as far west as the Blue Mountains.

The government passed legislation late last year to close the heavy rail line into the centre of Newcastle. Credit:Peter Stoop

The push has sparked concerns about the loss of key, publicly-owned land from community group Save Our Rail, which mounted an unsuccessful campaign to stop the closure of a two-kilometre stretch of heavy railway line into the centre of Newcastle.

Save Our Rail vice-president Kim Cross said a watering down of the legislation would open the door to the "rapacious development push and privatisation of public land" elsewhere in NSW.