Northern Railway Defenders Forum (TrainsNorth)
Co-convenors: Siri Gamage & Matthew Tierney
Postal address: P.O.Box 575, Armidale, NSW 2350.
Email: trainsnorth@hotmail.com
Our organisation has been active since 2021 organising petitions to the NSW government, making submissions to different levels of government, conducting a community survey and holding public forums. Consultations with various communities, councils and clubs along the northern railway line to exchange knowledge, opportunities, possibilities, concerns and suggestions on the subject are a key part of our work. Cross border opportunities exist for better mobility, collaboration in innovative technologies and industries, growth of regional/visitor economy, educational and health services, businesses, agricultural industries and freight movements. We strongly believe that the NSW government in collaboration with the federal government should make a better and bigger investment in regional railway infrastructure development including the restoration of train services from Armidale north. Lack of public transport between Armidale and Brisbane is creating many difficulties for the residents of New England for cross border mobility. Reopening the line would also provide a flood free transport option as well as lessen the human and financial costs that trucks place on our highways.
Links
NRDF Face book page
https://www.facebook.com/TrainsNorth
Survey
New England Community Survey: Rail Trail vs. Trains from Armidale to Glen Innes – 2022
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18kGe4hj4yxDh0vNgnG0738hv1_WaBUrR3neX-LiA1Ag/edit?pli=1
Petitions
1. ePetition to the Upper House, NSW Parliament (closes 26/1/2023)
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lc/pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=ahH04qnEvJ11h5OJudqkfw
2. Petition to the Legislative Assembly (close to target of10,000 signatures)
To access the link visit following face book page:
https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandTrains
3. Restore service on Great Northern Railway from Armidale to Qld Border
https://www.change.org/SaveNorthernRailLine
NRDF is a community organisation lobbying various stakeholders and educating the communities in New England and New South Wales to bring back train services between Armidale and Wallangarra. It opposes the removal of rail infrastructure for purposes other than train services.