Proposed New England Rail Trail Future is Now Clearer

Posted on 02/02/25

5 comments on “Proposed New England Rail Trail Future is Now Clearer”

Hi Rail Trails Australia. Love your work. "Active Transport" should integrate with Rail. NSW is a large state, with many kilometres between towns and cities. (+ Rail Transport makes a lot of sense for long distance transport (compared to road transport) – Regional train lines are important – And Motor Vehicle Transport has disadvantages). If the rail line from Armidale to the QLD border was ever to be put back into service – The "Rail Trail" ("Active Transport") would be even better if it was safely Rail ADJACENT. With efficient Bike on Train transport – This would facilitate a complete & attractive holiday trip using a combination of both Train and Cycling (Walking). The challenge is to achieve Federal Government support for excellent concepts.

Federal and State government support is required

Hi Grant,
While great in theory, the reality is that any trail built beside, rather than on, the formation would be extremely expensive, as cuttings would have to be widened, new bridges built, new access tracks, etc. It’s not feasible to expect the government to do that when they have no current intention to restore rail service.
Should train services ever return to the line, that would be the time to shift the trail, which could be absorbed into the truly massive cost of rebuilding the line to accommodate a modern train service.
In the meantime, let’s get the trail built as quickly and expeditiously as possible, so that generations of users don’t miss out. Let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Hi Sam – It appears we are in agreement. Yes – Far cheaper and quicker to build Rail Trails / "Active Transport" on a disused rail line. However – In a world where our Young Australians can no longer afford a home. And a Car is prohibitively expensive to buy and run – Safe Integrated "Active Transport" / Public Transport now makes significant and fair sense for ALL Australians. I agree – If the train line comes back again – The Rail Trail can then be moved to Adjacent to the Tracks. The big Australian picture should be – Government support is required for Rail Adjacent "Active Transport" where there is an active train line. If the train line is NOT active – Yes the "Rail Trail" should go immediately on top of the old trail line.