Siri Gamage, Regional Rail Advocate, Armidale
 
The Draft New England North West Strategic Regional Integrated Transport Plan (SRITP)'s short- and medium-term initiatives (pages 87–107) are broadly consistent with the plan's analysis and stated vision. Indeed, this alignment is one of the draft's key strengths.
 
The central issue is not whether the initiatives align with the vision—they largely do—but whether they go far enough, particularly in relation to regional rail and inter-regional connectivity.
Overall Assessment
The draft plan is built around five key objectives:
Improving connectivity between towns and regions
Supporting economic growth and emerging industries
Increasing travel choice
Improving safety and resilience
Creating a more sustainable and inclusive transport system

The proposed short- and medium-term initiatives are generally well aligned with these objectives. They respond effectively to many of the challenges identified in the analysis, including:
Long travel distances
Limited public transport options
Heavy reliance on road freight
Safety concerns on regional roads
Climate and flood resilience
Accessibility barriers for smaller and more remote communities
Where the Draft Aligns Strongly
Better Local and Regional Connectivity

Proposed improvements to bus networks, on-demand transport services, interchange facilities, and first- and last-mile connections directly address longstanding mobility gaps across the region. These measures are particularly important for smaller communities and residents without access to private vehicles.
 
Freight and Economic Productivity
Initiatives aimed at improving freight corridors, road efficiency, and connections to intermodal hubs align well with the region's role as a major agricultural, logistics, and renewable energy producer.
 
Safety and Network Resilience
Investment in safer roads, flood resilience, and network reliability reflects the risk analysis presented earlier in the draft, particularly given the region's exposure to extreme weather events and the challenges of long-distance travel.
 
Accessibility and Inclusion
Measures to improve access for older residents, people with disability, and First Nations communities are consistent with the demographic profile of the region and the SRITP's commitment to equitable access.
Where the Draft Falls Short
Rail Is Underrepresented
For a 20-year integrated transport strategy, the treatment of rail is cautious—arguably too cautious.
 
The New England North West is one of inland NSW's most strategically positioned regions, linking Sydney, the Inland Rail corridor, and south-east Queensland. Yet the draft places significantly greater emphasis on roads, buses, and active transport than on restoring or expanding rail capability.
 
This represents a major strategic gap given:

The growing freight task between northern NSW and Queensland
The emergence of Renewable Energy Zones
State and national decarbonisation objectives
The need for long-term network resilience
Increasing national emphasis on shifting freight from road to rail

The absence of a clear rail reactivation pathway—particularly for the corridor between Armidale and the Queensland border—is difficult to reconcile with the draft's own economic, environmental, and resilience objectives.
 
Limited Transformational Ambition
Many of the proposed initiatives are practical, worthwhile, and achievable. However, they are largely incremental. They improve the existing transport system rather than fundamentally reshaping it.
 
While this may be politically and financially pragmatic, it falls short of the transformative vision expected of a 20-year strategic plan.

Key Strategic Inconsistency
The draft rightly recognises:
Freight growth
Renewable energy expansion
Decarbonisation imperatives
Cross-border economic integration
However, it does not include a clear medium- or long-term strategy for:
Reinstating strategic rail links
Preserving rail corridors for future use
Expanding regional passenger rail services beyond current limits
This is a significant omission.

Conclusion
The Draft SRITP's short- and medium-term initiatives are generally well aligned with its analysis and stated vision. They are:
Operationally sound
Responsive to current needs
Practical and deliverable
However, they are only partially aligned with the draft's longer-term strategic aspirations.
In particular, the plan underestimates the role that rail could—and should—play in delivering:
Regional economic growth
Freight efficiency
Emissions reduction
Network resilience
Cross-border connectivity

A truly integrated transport plan for the New England North West must include a stronger commitment to investigating, preserving, and ultimately restoring strategic rail opportunities, including the northern rail corridor from Armidale to Queensland.
 
Without such a commitment, the plan risks being integrated in name—but incomplete in scope.

Note: you can upload a submission about the DRAFT the regional transport plan  via this link before 14th June.

https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/sritp/new-england-and-north-west