Dear rail supporters,

I hope you all enjoyed a restful period of reflection, joy, and happiness with close family and friends over the Christmas–New Year break.

I too was fortunate to spend quality time with my family during this period. Times like these often bring out the best in people. They allow us to appreciate the small things in life and to reflect on ideas relevant to our way of living—through books, television programs, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Even the weather seemed to cooperate.

This is also a time for making New Year wishes.

With your permission, we will continue our struggle for regional transport justice in the year ahead. The more we examine transport inequality between cities and regions, the clearer—and more troubling—the picture becomes. There is a serious lack of commitment from the NSW Government to invest adequately in regional transport, and from some local councils to advocate effectively on our behalf.

Two councils in New England remain hamstrung by their ideological commitment to a rail trail in the corridor north of Armidale. This has limited their ability to look beyond a single-use outcome and to represent the full range of regional transport needs with both levels of government. There appears to be an assumption that regional growth can occur without adequate ground transport options—an assumption that is deeply flawed.

The NSW Government is currently preparing a Regional Transport Plan for New England and the North West. Residents were invited to submit concerns, ideas, and suggestions to the Transport for NSW team preparing the plan. We were advised that a draft plan would be released for further consultation by the end of 2025. As we approach the end of the year, we are yet to see it. I expect the release date will be extended once again. It seems regional plans do not attract the same urgency as city plans.

Even when the plan is released, we should not expect radical proposals. There may be many well-crafted words and symbolic initiatives, but I remain doubtful that there will be any serious commitment to extending the rail line north of Armidale. This is not primarily about cost—it is about the fact that governments believe they can avoid extending services to Glen Innes or Tenterfield without consequence.

Those of us who live in this region must come together, set aside minor differences, and mount a strong and unified campaign to secure our fair share of government investment in regional transport. Our councils, not-for-profit organisations, MPs, and allies within senior levels of government need to stand on a common platform. To this end, I have suggested to the Armidale Regional Council Mayor that a roundtable discussion be convened to identify shared priorities. Although this has not yet occurred, we should not lose hope.

The political landscape in New England is also changing. New parties and new players may emerge, creating additional opportunities to press our case for the renewal of the rail line to Queensland.

Please take care when travelling.

With best wishes for the year ahead,

Siri Gamage