Merits of Regional Rail Renewal vs a Rail Trail: Failures of Decision-Making in New England

In 2024, Armidale Regional Council (ARC) lost the $5.4 million grant previously allocated to the New England Rail Trail (NERT) because it failed to meet the milestones required by the funding agency. Council blamed administrative barriers within the NSW Government, but the outcome was clear: the project could not deliver. Two further grant applications submitted last year were also unsuccessful.

Despite this poor record—and strong community opposition to using ratepayers’ money on the project—ARC has allocated nearly $500,000 in next year’s budget for preliminary works. This contradicts an earlier Council motion stating that there should be no net cost to ratepayers from the rail trail. Once again, Council seems determined to repeat a failed strategy, hoping for a different result.

At its meeting on 22 October 2025, ARC resolved to restart preliminary work and seek approvals for the rail trail between Armidale and Ben Lomond (67 kilometres). In addition to $500,000 in ratepayers’ funds, Council intends to draw on another $600,000 from an undisclosed external source—spending more than $1 million in total. By comparison, Glen Innes Severn Council is spending only $170,000 on its section. One must ask why ARC’s consultancy costs are so much higher.

Converting an important regional rail corridor that links New England with Queensland into a cycling trail is a short-sighted decision. Restoring the railway from Armidale to the Queensland border would generate far greater benefits—improving mobility, freight capacity, tourism, arts and culture exchange, and environmental sustainability. Rail reactivation supports genuine regional development, while a rail trail removes that opportunity forever.

Local councils are not the ideal level of government to shape region-wide or national transport strategies. They are often driven by narrow local politics and short-term thinking. This case illustrates that point well. In an era when even smaller nations such as East Timor are investing in modern rail systems, how can we justify dismantling an existing corridor?

The NSW Government’s approach to regional transport renewal remains deeply unsatisfactory. While Victoria continues to invest billions in upgrading and reopening regional lines, NSW relies on endless planning exercises—like the so-called Strategic Integrated Regional Transport Plans (SIRTPs)—which appear to delay action rather than deliver it. Meanwhile, billions continue to be spent on Sydney infrastructure while regional communities are left behind.

Both major parties have failed to deliver regional transport justice. Perhaps it is time for the minor parties in Parliament to challenge this imbalance.

At the federal level, the government speaks of decarbonisation and shifting freight from road to rail but has done little to reactivate the Northern Railway Line from Armidale to the Queensland border. Each time I write to the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Catherine King, I am referred to the State Minister. Each time I write to the State Minister, I am told to wait for the SIRTP process or produce yet another business case. This, after more than 10,000 people signed a petition to the NSW Parliament in 2024 calling for the line’s reactivation. Many residents across New England have received the same dismissive responses.

We are, quite frankly, stuck between a rock and a hard place: dependent on governments to meet our transport needs, yet repeatedly let down by their inaction.

We therefore call on the NSW Government to:

Conduct a feasibility study for restoring the Northern Railway Line;
Fund a comprehensive business case for reactivation; and
Include the Armidale–Queensland rail link in the upcoming Strategic Integrated Regional Transport Plan for New England–North West—instead of prioritising a rail trail from Armidale to Glen Innes.
Our local MPs, ministers, and mayors must also engage in good faith with communities to develop a balanced transport framework—one that allows for recreation but does not destroy our capacity for future rail. Councils should unite communities, not divide them.

If any readers have ideas or suggestions on the way forward, I would welcome hearing from you.

 
Siri Gamage
Regional Transport Advocate
✉️ siri.gamage1951@gmail.com