Dear all,

You may have seen the recent media statements by the Mayor of Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council after their meetings with the Premier of NSW and other ministers.  They stated that the message they got was that trains will not return in the immediate future to the areas north of Armidale, therefore they will proceed with the construction of rail trail between Armidale and Glen Innes.

I am aware that both councils are working closely with Public Works Advisory, Dept of Regional NSW to make this a reality.  However, before the minister approves a request from the councils to lease the rail corridor and start construction of the rail trail, the minister has to consult various stakeholders and evaluate the strength of the business case, level of community support and environmental impact.  After all this she has to submit a legislation to the NSW parliament for approval. Once the parliament approves the legislation only the councils can proceed with appointing a project manager to construct the rail trail. Therefore, still there is some way to go in this saga.  Decisions are not made in the Premier's office as indirectly suggested in the media statements.

Our position is that it is far better to restore the rail line and start rail services for both passenger and freight services rather than pull out the rail tracks to build a bike track which has limited benefit to the region in the long turn.  Experience from Northern Rivers bike track usage suggests that after the initial excitement number of visitors/cyclists come down more than by half e.g. from 17,000 to 7000.  It is risky to remove the rail tracks and build a rail trail in an area where there are no tourist attractions like in other locations elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand. The climatic conditions here also do not support the idea.  If the two councils want to go ahead with the rail trail plan against majority community opposition, let them do it at their own peril.  Ultimate proof of estimated visitor numbers will become clear after a year or two.  By that time, we will have lost an important public asset.  Armidale Regional Council is opening the upgraded recreational area at Dumaresq Dam site today with a free BBQ. Nearly 4 million from the bushfire fund has been utilised.  Why can’t the council build its rail trail to this upgraded area?  ARC also has foreshadowed the construction of several more cycle ways connecting proposed housing zones in its draft Strategic Plan for the next 20 years.  These will connect with the rail trail.  Many in the community oppose this plan.  What we need is better public transport to connect new housing zones.  How can we move forward in the next 20 years with a cycle track while we are not connected to Queensland by ground transport? 

In the meantime, there is credible, reliable and professional assessment of the northern rail line is being conducted by Northern Regional Railway Company (NRRC)with the support of New England Railway Inc (NERi) with a view to operating future heritage trains between Armidale and locations north to the border with Qld. In Northern Rivers another company concluded a similar study and found that the cost of repair is modest.  See the following video for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRynN-ZqH64

I encourage you to write to Hon.Jenny Aitchison, Minister for regional transport and roads highlighting the importance of restoring the train services north of Armidale to the border and the futility of removing rail infrastructure for a short-term recreational project.   Her contact details are: 

The Hon Jenny Aitchison

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads

GPO Box 5341 Sydney NSW 2001.

Tel: 02- 7225 6060

Web link: nsw.gov.au/ministers