Will the Government Come to the Party? Petition Debate in NSW Parliament on 8th February
Siri Gamage, Trains North
It is a rare event for the New England Community to collect signatures for a petition to the parliament on an issue affecting them and submit to the parliament expecting our elected representatives to do the right thing. This has been the case in relation to the petition signed by 10740 residents of the region and State seeking passenger train services between Armidale and Jennings/Wallangarra near the border with Queensland. They are not seeking a completely new service that involves surveying the line's path, acquisition of land, planning a new rail line, bridges, culverts etc. The rail corridor supposed to be 30 meters wide and associated infrastructure already exists though it may require repairs. Train services -both passenger and freight- used to run along the currently non-operational rail line until the late 80s. With the increasing emphasis by governments on building roads and facilitating freight by trucks as well as the wider use of motor vehicles the importance placed on renewal of country rail network slowly disappeared. Billions of dollars were spent on road repair or upgrades. Circumstances have now changed with the climate change crisis and the widely recognised need to reduce our carbon footprint on the environment.
In the meantime, residents living in areas north of Armidale without direct access to public transport -coaches or trains - other than once a day Trains Link coach from Tenterfield to Armidale have been facing numerous challenges in traveling to metropolitan areas particularly in the north. They tended to live with the problems silently and many myths constructed by vested interests about the viability or affordability of repairing the northern railway line. In particular, those in vulnerable groups such as those who are elderly, sick, disabled or unemployed faced special difficulties in attending to their needs. Many preferred to travel north to Queensland rather than spend many hours travelling by coach to Armidale and another 8 hours in the train to Sydney. Those living in towns such as Glen Innes and Tenterfield preferred to travel north for services.
Politicians of all hues also did not pay much attention to this transport injustice until groups of activists and organisations started to collect signatures for a petition several years ago. Collecting nearly 11000 signatures is no easy task. Train activists visited markets, talked to shop owners and those who wanted the train services to return but lived silently going about their daily lives. Passenger Train Services north of Armidale was one such organisation. Then emerged Northern Railway Defenders Forum which later became Trains North. They submitted the petition with 10740 signatures to the NSW Legislative Assembly through the local member Mr. Adam Marshall. The debate is due to take place on 8th February.
Will the government come to the party and at least initiate a feasibility study or provide funding for a community advocacy organisation like Trains North? As the initial indications are a guide, this is not the case. Minister for regional transport and roads Hon Jenny Aitchison has asked them proponents of the petition to submit a business case to the government. This is strange considering the fact that the rail corridor in question is government owned even though currently leased to UGL for maintenance and sub leasing. (UGL has issued hundreds of leases of corridor land to landowners for grassing etc.).
Have we moved away from the era when governments are elected by the people for the people? Will the debate on 8th become a talkfest only or the government will adopt an action plan for further investigation and action?
One notable factor is that the current government transport and regional development plans for the New England-Northwest region do not include any extensions of the rail line beyond Armidale. To our knowledge, no extensions to the Country Rail Network (CRN) are included in government plans. In NSW there are more non-operational rail lines compared to operational ones. NSW government's preference seems to be to support local councils to convert such rail lines or sections to become bike and walking tracks. This is contrary to the emphasis by federal government to shift freight from trucks to rail.
Are we moving to the stone age in NSW compared to other States or moving forward to the post-pandemic, post-modern stage like other countries in the region? Indonesia inaugurated a fast train with Chinese collaboration at the end of 2023. Countries like Malaysia, Vietnam are also building their rail networks including fast trains at a rapid rate. we all know what is happening in China. While all this is happening in neighbouring countries we are still beset with State borders and many barriers for inter-regional connectivity? Only in emergency situations like floods and bushfires we tend to think about innovative ways of moving goods, personnel and machinery for recovery and reconstruction.
Cross border mobility and connectivity by public transport in regional NSW should be a priority for the NSW government and the local councils. We believe that to ensure the region's long-term future growth and prosperity in a changing world, restoration of this line is absolutely essential.
Circumstances have changed significantly from the time when the rail services were terminated on the northern railway line in the late 80s. People living in Sydney and other metropolitan areas are relocating to regional towns. According to the issues paper by the Dept of Regional NSW, overall, there has been a near doubling in domestic migration from 2017 - 2020, with people migrating from metropolitan Melbourne and Sydney to regional centres like Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Newcastle, Tamworth and Wagga. In the decade between 2006 - 2016, 13.2 per cent of moving residents were people relocating from Greater Sydney into regional NSW, increasing to around 15 per cent in 2018-2010. Over the years 2021 - 2023, movement out of Sydney and into regional NSW was 33 per cent of the total migration out of capital cities in Australia.
The minister for regional NSW Hon.Tara Moriarty says that "The NSW Government is supporting regional communities to ensure they continue to grow and thrive. The 2023-24 NSW Budget committed $1.8 billion in new regional investments to build on the strengths of our regions, invest in essential services and infrastructure, and improve service delivery and quality of life in our rural and regional communities" (Issues paper 2024).
Northern railway line is an important and underutilised public asset. Given the problems facing Inland Rail North of Narromine, isn’t it time to re-examine the utility of this line for passenger, freight and heritage train services?