Rail Trail

I live in the centre of Stokers siding and I support the information rail trail. In saying that I am slo a supporter of maintaining the environment in which I have lived for over 30 years as a home owner. Living in the heart of the village I ma concerned that with the start of the rail trail we will be turned into a parking lot making it very difficult for us to park our own and visitors cars. I hope plans for the rail trail have incorporated parking well away from teh centre of the village where we socialise, relax, school our children And collect mail. With very little footpaths it is already dangerous walking around the village area which is often subjected to speeding cars. the drivers have no regard for residents and in fact I have been abused and threatened for walking on the side of the rode and even on the footpath. While I am aware that policing of hooning is non existent I would hope that traffic calming ( the likes of which have been given to coastal residents of the tweed) is also incorporated into the plans for the rail trail.
With more people to visit the area the issue of public toilets also rises its head. On no account do any of the residents in the heart of the village want a public toilet erected in the centre of the village. we already have a toilet at the shop (which I understand ratepayers paid for) plus we have toilets at the local hall and toilets at the local school. This seems more than enough to cater for any increased need of public toilets. If it is deemed that a public toilet is required then I would hope planning has incorporated it well away from residential houses...far away...we do not want to see it or smell it or be subjected to vandalism or mess left as a result of such an amenity. I hope the council is being very mindful of the residents in the villages not just the business opportunities. The residents of stokers siding have chosen to live here because of the lifestyle a small village has offered. We get next too nothing by way of council money invested into the village and would appreciate being listened to regarding our concerns about any impact the rail trail will have on our lives as well as our main investment, our homes. thank you for the opportunity to have a say and I look forward to a representative meeting with the residents who live in the heart of the village. Madeleine Doherty

The sleepers and lines should be removed so that the Rail Trail can be built on formation. Some sections of track , such as in sidings or passing loops could be retained for historical purposes.

This is a great initiative to access the natural beauty of the Tweed, which is currently only accessible by road.

Having recently visited Beechworth in Vic which has 100+ km of rail trails, they appear to bring quiet tourists and connect locals with the outdoors. A real feature.

A well designed trail is good for people, the planet, plus bringing quiet tourists, income and employment to our region.

I call that a win, win,win, win, win:)

This is a fantastic initiative - and I hope more and more trails are constructed right throughout the country. South Australia created the Almond Trail, which is also a beautiful trail through vinyards and countryside. As an inline skater (rollerblader), I have skated in most cities around Australia, and in a few cities in Europe that have trails along the rivers. A trail like this will attract a lot of international skating visitors to skate some or all of the distance, and it would have the potential to host some long distance skating tours through the northern rivers region - bringing tourists to the community. As racing bikes, inline skating, scooters, and also disability aids such as wheelchairs require a smooth surface such as concrete or smooth bitumen, I would hope that at least part of the width of the trail will be made of a skateable material, and not all gravel or crusher dust that limits the trails to mountain bikes and hikers, and washes away when the heavy rains come.

I have been lucky enough to live in 3 European cities / towns that all had extensive rail trails and the use (in all seasons) by locals and tourists was impressive. Used for local commutes and tourism alike, the have positive impact on health, environment and transport. Australia has a dependance on car use which is neither healthy or sustainable.

I love cycling any rail trails around Australia and will pay big money to visit and ride for a few days. However, I will pay in more money to be able to inline skate a rail trail. I also have many skate friends who would join me on such adventures. So my main reason for posting here is to say, please consider wheeled sports such as skaters, scooters and sporting wheelchairs. At the moment we are confined to the major urban centres where we can skate along perfectly smooth bikepaths. There is no rail trail (yet) in Australia that can provide a smooth skating experience. When constructing the rail trail, if it is a skateable surface, i.e. concrete or smooth bitumen, then you will not only attract the population of skaters in Australia but also the wider international community. You have one of the most scenic routes of any rail trail, so please do not relegate the experience to just horse riders, cyclists and hikers.

Lets make it happen. It has taken to long to make it spade ready. It would be a fantastic rail trail and I am looking forward to the day I ride it with my friends.
Peter

Opportunities like this will only come along once so build the best rail trail possible for The Tweed as this will set the standard for the rest of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.

Cant wait what an asset it will be for the Tweed and Northern Rivers

This will be the best project for the Northern Rivers Region in history! It will transform the region. Once its here we will wonder how we ever did without it! Please lets get started.

I love trains, particularly steam trains, and I also love cycling,

Reviving rail would bring to life:
Trains - but there is no funding
Stations
Bridges
Other stuff like signal boxes

However supporting a cycle rail trail would ensure that the Stations Bridges and Other Stuff get preserved, which is better than it all falling away by decay,
So a cycle rail trail enables these structures to be preserved and admired, and they will be accessable too.

This is an incredible chance to create something that will be of enormous value for all the communities involved while honouring the rich history of the rail. Please don't squander it. The Rail Trail will benefit people of all ages and abilities due to the flat gradient, and if constructed on formation as much as possible, will be an attraction that will bring people from all over to visit. It will connect our villages, towns, shires with an option of a safe car-free connection. You only need to see rail trails around the world to see how they have absolutely revitalised rural communities. The naysayers have completely turned around and are now supporting them whole heartedly, even setting up businesses to cash on the rail trail success.

Examples are:
Otago Rail Trail
Tumbarumba Rosewood Rail Trail - the first in NSW!
Crater to Coast Rail Trail
Ballarat Skipton Rail Trail
Murray to Mountains Rail Trail
High Country Rail Trail
Sustrans
and hundreds more

The train was taken out because it wasn't used (and yes that's sad, but it was done), and for 20 years these tracks have lain, rotting and neglected. They already encourage graffiti, are an eyesore, are dangerous, and will eventually need attention.

The government does not support the train to come back, yet have 100% funded the rail trail. There are NO funds to preserve the historical features except the rail trail funds.

To hold the tracks on a whim that the train 'might' come back one day is a pipe dream, creating a plain path on the side that is disengaging for the user.

It is so much better to use the funds fully, creating a world-class attraction. A high example that the entire world will hold how a community came together, to be the visionaries, just like our forefathers before, to create towns and shires that are prosperous and thriving. The Rail Trail on formation is the best way to respect and honour the generations that came before, and the generations to come.

Fantastic news, very excited hat this will breathe life into a lot of small towns along the route and become a fantastic drawcard to the Byron Hinterland and the Tweed. As an operator of Guided E Bike tours, at Beyond Byron E Bikes, I love the idea that I can help people explore our beautiful region and not have to travel on the roads. This will no doubt prove to be a wonderful success and I cannot wait for Byronshire to get on board, even if it's just the Mullum to Crabbes Creek section to make it more accessible from Byron and the motorway. My only disappointment is waiting till Dec 2022!

Many people in the community, including myself, would like the railtrail to be created alongside the railway tracks. Everyone I have ever spoken to about the railway is still angry, to be honest, that the trains were taken away in the first place. While it's clear the state gov doesn't care about the wishes or needs of our community, the tracks could at least be left so that we can reinstate the trains as a community. It's hard to fathom that we are going so far backwards with our trains and rails removed. It's actively disadvantaging the mobility of those in our community without high incomes in multiple ways, which further entrenches their disadvantage and increases the difference they already experience. Having used the trains and their local bus replacements many times, I can assure you that the bus services are no adequate replacement! Two hours of nausea between Murwillumbah and Casino with the seatbelt somehow digging into your throat, means that the trip is avoided at all costs unless desperately necessary. Connections to family and friends who live further afield are that bit harder to maintain with so many barriers already in place. These practical discriminations against us as a regional community with a high degree of poverty are more jarring when the immense wealth of our nation and its resources is considered.
While Australia is generally sparsely populated, it is a disservice to us all that we do not have rail linking the country, and incredibly short sighted that we are moving further away from rather than towards this idea.
It's also a great loss to the people of Murwillumbah and surrounds that we don't have train access to Lismore. We would have more opportunities if we could study in Lismore, or work or have more exchange between the towns.
Soon governments at all levels will need to address carbon emissions. I welcome the railtrail as the backbone of the bike trails throughout the area that will benefit us all in the future. It makes sense to keep the option for trains in the future open, as they will assist us to reduce emissions and meet targets that will come into being in the foreseeable future.
It is also simply the wishes of the majority of our community that the railtrail coexists with our beloved railway, not replace it. We can then take over the tracks and future trains, and be richer and better for it in many more ways than I can list here! I am sure the benefits of trains to communities has been written about and studied a few times in the last 200 years too.
Please hear us as a community. We deserve to be heard. Support us to create a strong community together.

Looking forward to the Byron to Sunrise service being extended to Mullumbimby. Hopefully then a train service also to Murwillumbah.
Please ensure this is considered.

I am utterly gobsmacked that the historic train tracks and existing infrastructure is to be removed for a small percentage of our population, lycra wearing, latte sipping folk. Who do not bring revenue to the areas known to have existing trails. Locals point out they bring packed lunches and arrive on public transport with bikes in tow!
The argument of economics falls on deaf ears... to replace and recreate will exceed repair.
To suggest trains would not be used is a crime! We have had significant growth in thirty years yet our youth, non drivers and elderly pensioners still CAN'T access the nearest towns or Tweed for work or study!
We have a higher than average rain fall with temperatures climbing, No phone reception, numerous deadly snakes, carcinogenic soil along the tracks, farmers biosecurity etc etc.
Who is to police it?
Why were we not consulted as land holders?
I most certainly have no problem with bikes being ridden but for the cost of our Nation not having trains between our major cities I am embarrassed!, it is deeply short sighted and benefits a minority!
If we had trains or were able to commute between Casino and Tweed i'm sure you'd find our town thriving..
the reality is it does not thrive as we are isolated, unless you are from the elite few who have more $ than sense and enjoy art and coffee!

This is a case of a council acting contrary to the wishes of the majority of ratepayers. Surveys have made it clear the majority want the line reopened.

As a former Track Manager with Rail Infrastructure Corp and having inspected the entirety of the line, the line can be reopened to its former operational state for less than the cost of the proposed rail trail.

Ratepayers are being duped and mislead by the railtrail proponents. This is an exercise of cost shifting by the state government and a spoke in the wheel of removing the line and selling off the land. The rail trail proponents can't point to a financially viable example in Australia. Then there are the bio security issues, the assumptions that farmers will allow every Tom, Dick and Harry onto their properties with horses and pets.

Council, you do not have the authority of the people of Tweed Heads nor the people of nsw to pull the track up. It's not your money. You act without authority. The majority have told you they dont want it ripped up. They want trains restored. It's only politics standing in the way of this line being reopened. I'm happy to provide my services free to council to show council just how easy it is to reopen the line. I can be contacted at fisherbusaustralia@gmail.com My area of responsibility as Track Manager included 200km of the main south. 33 staff. 500km of track in total including associated branch lines. The rail trail will become a liability of the council shifting from the state. Currently council bears none of the cost of the corridor maintenance. Council will bear 100% of the cost if it's converted to a rail trail. Vegetation control slashing the corridor. Noxious weed control. Bush fire hazard reduction. Public liability. Erosion and sediment control. Fencing. There isn't a profitable rail trail in Australia. They are all a financial liability. The line was profitable until the Carr Labor government mismanaged the line replacing a profitable motorail that generated $22m/pa, $11.5m in profits paying for the upkeep of the line, replacing the motorail with an ill suited loss producing xpt.

Who is going to pay to maintain the entire 30-metre wide corridor ? Tell the truth, TSC, it will be Tweed Ratepayers. Who will pick up the litter and clean the graffiti? All bicycle paths attract this vandalism. If you have ever actually seen one. Why are you persisting with this when it has been opposed by the elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor for the entire life of this elected council? Why are you not considering the off formation option that was voted for by the councillors? who is running this council? the staff or the elected councillors ?? The RT was Barry Longlands pet project. He was voted out, why are you persisting with a dumped councilors misguided dream? Why have you only shown people who support this project ?? More than half the people of the shire are definitely against it. Why don't you build a bicycle path from Murwillumbah to Tweed Heads instead? And give us genuine cyclists safe access to the coast and the coastal cycleway? This RT goes nowhere. . There is something very sinister behind this rip off of public land. Wake up people of Tweed. This is a trojan horse, intended to rob us of any chance of restoring our railway. Trains from byron bay would bring genuine tourist visits to our town and genuinely revive the economy of the town. Get ready for the next election and punish the pariahs who are planning to rip up our railway

A wonderful project. Extraordinarily successful in NZ in particular and a true tourist draw card for the Tweed.

Hi! As the owner of www.theranchbyronbay.com an adventure horse trekking company I am very excited about the the Rail Trail as we ride all over the Byron and Tweed Shires and I would love to bring riders from all over the world to ride the Rail Trail bringing tourism to the small towns along the way. Keep up the amazing work!!
Warm Wishes,
Shanti