Residents of Armidale, Guyra and surrounding areas will have the opportunity soon to listen to a range of speakers at two events that Trains North is organising in Armidale and Guyra.
Their focus will be on the restoration of passenger trains on the Main North Line from Armidale to Queensland and rail as a driver of economic and social growth including better public transport between regional centres and major cities.
They will also consider a strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and improve road safety and maintenance by reviving rail freight. Opportunities for freight, passenger and heritage tourist trains will be topics of discussion.
Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the panel of speakers in a Q and A sessions at both events.
Trains North is an incorporated association that emerged from the previous work of Northern Railway Defenders Forum (NRDF). It has been campaigning to convince the authorities and the public about the importance of restoring the Great Northern Railway line for train services since 2020.
Trains North held its first general meeting in Armidale recently. Its current president is Matthew Tierney, an engineer who took part in the campaign to restore train services when the NSW government decided to terminate country link services at Tamworth in the past.
Several thousand people gathered at the Armidale station to press the need for train services to return to Armidale when the minister responsible for regional transport visited Armidale along with the then local MP Richard Torbay.
Organisers of these two events believe it is a critical time to enable the means for future regional growth and better connectivity between New England and nearby regions, especially south east Queensland and Brisbane at a time when the Commonwealth and state governments are placing a huge emphasis on the transition to renewable energy as well as moving freight from roads to rail.
During the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy we ought to be moving with the times and government priorities rather than taking backward steps by removing the rail line for temporary recreational purposes as proposed by two councils in New England.
Trains North supporters believe that the NSW government needs to revise its transport plans for the New England-Northwest region to incorporate such a future oriented vision. It needs to invest in the restoration of the Great Northern Railway line for train services.
If the government does not have necessary funds, it can seek expressions of interest from the private sector for a public-private partnership (PPP).
Transport NSW enters into such arrangements for projects in Sydney.
Until now, residents in New England and nearby areas have been fed certain myths saying that the trains will never come back and the cost of restoring the line is prohibitiveThrough the work of NRDF such as public forums, petitions, media articles and interviews, the community has begun to embrace the idea that restoration of the railway line is possible and it will be for the good of the region.
The state government and local councils need to come on board with a positive approach and advocate on behalf of the community rather than chase a rail trail (bike track) project that involves the removal of our cherished railway line.
Such an approach would be in line with government and private sector initiatives to make New England a renewable energy zone (REZ). For the long-suffering residents of northern New England due to the lack of public transport, restoration of train services to the border as a first step will be a blessing.
More vulnerable sections of the community such as the elderly, sick, isolated, disabled and unemployed face particular challenged with no direct public transport between Armidale and Brisbane.
The Armidale Forum will be held at the Bowling Club Auditorium on Monday, August 7, 2023 at 5.45pm. The Guyra Forum will be at the Bowling Club on August 3 at 6pm.
The forums are free and open to the public. For further information contact trainsnorth@hotmail.com.
Siri Gamage
Armidale
July 26, 2023