Hundreds of residents say their lives are in limbo after the NSW government announced their properties were in the path of a proposed rail line through Sydney's south west.
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The state government has released plans to preserve land for a future rail extension of the south west rail link from Leppington to Bringelly and Narellan.
Construction of the extension might not start for decades and the government says it is trying to avoid the mistakes of the past by locking in a corridor before further development occurs.
But residents whose homes fall in the way of the route say they are now living on a knife's edge.
One resident Nick Upston had only just signed-off on a block of land and finalised plans for his new family home in Harrington Grove when the rail corridor was announced this month.
As Mr Upston is renting and has a mortgage to pay on the land, he said his family would have to build their dream home with the knowledge it might soon be compulsorily acquired.
"That estate is the prime estate," Mr Upston said.
"We've saved like hell to get this. We lined up to get the first block. I was only planning to leave that house one way," he said.
"We sold our own house so we could get enough for the deposit and we've been renting but we can't keep doing that with a mortgage. We can't sell because who is going to buy a land in a rail corridor? It's devastating."
About 100 recently sold blocks of land in the Wildfire housing estate in Harrington Grove are in the way of the proposed rail line.
Developer Terry Goldacre said all sales had now been suspended but owners were extremely distressed and now had to make a decision about whether to build on their new land.
A Transport NSW spokesman said more than 90 land owners had been notified that the proposed corridor could affect their property but the department was "nowhere near talking about acquisition".
Harrington Park resident Dennis McLear, who has lived in his home for 14 years, said he had halted renovation plans over concerns he could lose his house.
"I'm a positive thinker and I'm not giving up my home," he said. "They'll have to carry my dead body out of here."
The Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, said the government needed to protect the corridor for the future.
"We are better off identifying the route today, consulting with communities today, in the knowledge that in some point – five, 10, 15, 20 years – there will be a need for an extension of the south west rail link," Mr Constance said.
"If we do not protect this corridor and we allow thousands upon thousands of homes to be built on this corridor into the future that would be grossly irresponsible for future generations," he said.
More than 300,000 new residents are expected to move into the region in the future and the government says the extension would support a transit spine in western Sydney.
The corridor would connect the new Leppington Station to Bringelly and then head north to connect with the western line near St Marys and south to Narellan.
It would see new stations built at Rossmore, Bringelly, North Bringelly, Oran Park and Narellan and provided future access to the planned Badgerys Creek airport.
Community consultation about the proposed corridor is underway until July 24.
