Apartment towers up to twenty storeys high will be built near rail stations in Sydney's north-west, under the latest proposals for the area.

The tallest buildings would emerge near the Bella Vista and Showground stations on the $8.3 billion Sydney Metro Northwest rail line – in suburbs that have traditionally been marked by low-rise housing. Towers are also planned near Kellyville station.

The state government started to release plans for more intensive development along the rail corridor in 2013.

But draft plans for the three station areas released on Sunday provide greater detail about the proposal for 13,500 new homes and 14,000 potential new jobs.