In a recent story about proposed rail trail, Glen Innes Severn Shire Mayor Rob Banham is quoted as saying “I am not a train expert but if they want to put a train line back in between here and Wallangarra they are going to need a figure of $1.5 billion.”
The first part of the comments “I’m not a train expert” are 100% accurate.
The comments regarding the cost of reopening the line are grossly and willfully misleading of the public by an elected representative of Glen Innes council to push an agenda the majority of ratepayers and of the state of NSW do not want contrary to the public interest and wishes in what amounts to dishonest and fraudulent conduct. I intend to report both he and Cr Sparkes for breaching local government code of conduct and state laws.
He has willfully misled the public to push a mindless rail trail agenda that has no economic basis whatsoever.
The claims about the Tumburrumba rail trail also false misleading and deceptive. However fact checking and critical thinking don’t seem to be a thing these days.
If people undertake a random, unannounced audit of that rail trail as I have done on numerous occasions, they will find paltry use of it. Virtually no one using it. There are no fees to use it. It is all cost and no revenue.
One of the businesses that opened on the rail trail on the promise of great things has gone bust and closed.
People on the Murwillumbah line are complaining via social media their property values have been significantly depreciated.
The media generally have never investigated or provided the alternative story from start to finish. In the case of the Cooma line, the media facetiously used the headline “Steam trains vs bicycles”.
The railway is a state asset. It belongs to the NSW taxpayer who have not been properly consulted. It does not belong to Armidale nor Glen Innes council.
It’s not about bringing steam trains back, but modern air conditioned easy access services and efficient freight with intermodals.
There must be a statewide referendum conducted before any more of the 100 plus year old statewide infrastructure is removed for this absolute madness when both major party have earmarked a record and unprecedented and unsustainable $113b for road maintenance.
We are working on a class action and injunction to stop any further rail trails until the people of NSW are consulted, ideally by way of a referendum.
People with mobility issues denied proper transport access via rail.
It has been one lie after another peddled by the rail trailers.
In Tweed, the contractor advised Tweed Council the cheapest and best option was to build off formation and council ignored that advice.
The conduct of those elected members of council blatantly dishonest, false, misleading and deceptive and fraudulent when the misappropriation of funds is taken into account on the back of lies. They have lied to the public in order to gain support for the spending of public money. Lied about the viability.
Casino council have spent their $7m grant and have run out of money and have nothing to show for it for the 15km from Casino to Bently.
The Rail Trails do not generate a single cent in revenue and are high cost maintenance with vegetation control, Noxious weed control, fire hazard reduction and salinity and drainage management. I know first hand the costs involved as Track Manager. I ask Mr Banham to produce the report and its authors upon which he drew the $1.5b figure from and what expertise he and Cr Sparkes who are pushing this agenda have.
I note the cost of reopening the line was convoluted and artificially inflated by reference to upgrades elsewhere that have no relevance to the Armidale to Wallangara line. I also ask that they produce to the public the current cost of road maintenance of the New England Highway, and that if the rail line were reopened from Wallangarra to Armidale. What investigations have they undertaken in that respect?
Having spoken to Cr Sparkes, despite her assertions that her and Adam Marshall were experts on rail, I was completely dumbfounded by her ignorance to the point of ending the phone call.
I was Track Manager at Harden on the Main South. My area of responsibility encompassed Bowning to Wallendbeen Up and Down mains, Demondrille to Blayney, Koorawatha to Grenfel, Cowra to Eugowra and Galong to Boorowa. Some 550km of track infrastructure. 33 staff. Every aspect of infrastructure maintenance and construction. I was with the railways for 20 years and continue on a contract basis. I have 37 years experience in the transport industry, as a Track Manager, as a bus and coach operator and commercial pilot.
If we were to replace every single sleeper for the entire 213km from Armidale 579-000km to Wallangara 792-000km.There are 1’432 concrete sleepers per kilometer spaced at 700mm centres.
The cost of supply of concrete sleepers from Rocla Grafton delivered including jewellery (Pandrol clips, pads and biscuits) is $136 each. You can confirm this directly with Rocla Grafton yourself. You in essence can fact check for yourself.
Installed cost of $166/each. ($30 installation cost per sleeper.).
1432 sleepers per kilometer x 213 kilometers = 305’016 sleepers. Less bridges and turnouts.
305’016 sleepers @ $166 each = $50.6m.
That would provide track where every single sleeper from Armidale to Wallangara was brand new concrete. Given the current timber sleeper condition I deemed that a 1 in 3 concrete sleeper pattern would deliver a 1 in 2 good sleeper condition pattern when existing timber sleeper condition is taken into account, well above the minimum 1 in 4 mainline requirement.
Replacing every 3rd timber sleeper from Armidale to Wallangara for the 213km would require 101’672 concrete sleepers at $16.8m.
Bearing in mind the track from Werris Creek to Armidale is steel sleepered track as part of the country rail network, maintained by UGL, formerly John Holland.
The rail all but for 9km between Glen Innes and Tenterfield is 80lb and 94lb rail in very good condition. The same size, age and condition rail as that between Werris Creek and Armidale.
There is 9km of 71 & 1/2lb pioneer rail between Glen Innes and Tenterfield.
I costed replacement of that 9km with 60kg continuous welded rail on concrete sleepers at $7m taking that section of track to class 1 mainline standard.
Almost all of the bridges are either ballast top brick or transom top steel girder bridges of very good condition. The brick bridge near the golf course at Armidale requires plating along a hairline crack in a wingwall. Most of the timber bridges can be replaced with pre fabricated concrete culverts.
The farmers road crossings can be replaced at $15k each. 4m3 of concrete plus reo.
The main road crossing at Stonehenge across the New England highway $450k using reinforced concrete crossing and boom gates.
The transom top steel girder bridge’s removed from Glen Innes to Tenterfield are sitting in Glen Innes yard. They simply require reinstatement.
Sunnyside ballast top timber bridge can be replaced using secondhand transom top steel girders using the existing brick work pylons and head and wing walls.
The overgrowth is easily removed using a ballast regulator machine with steel wire rope rotary broom head and plough @ $1k per kilometer. $213k for entire length from Armidale to Wallangara.
A Hi-rail Toyota Landcruiser tabletop used with spray unit to poison the noxious weeds and chainsaw to fell trees. $213k. Total cost for removal of overgrowth of $426k for the entire length.
All well within the $54m I originally quoted.
Thanks for this rundown on the reconstruction cost involved. Great when we can read something from an experienced person as yourself with your background. Hope that you are able to turn the whole argument in favour of reinstating passenger and freight services on this very important infrastructure. Good luck with whatever the future holds. As well as the re introduction of services to Wallangara I would love to see a third rail to meet up with the Inland Railhead at Gowrie and freight exchange at Wellcamp adjacent to the airport. The Toowoomba and Darling Downs region is expanding in all directions with both Manufacturing and Food production as well as some military manufacturing.
Now reading the facebook pages i would have thought that this guy from northern sydney world reound hertiage expert phillip bucket would have been banging on doors like he tells all his facebook followers to do.
Now brian threw his hat into the ring at the election ans scored like 1% of the vote because he was so focused on everywhere else but the seat he was running for and i thought phillip might have done to same with the hornsby area pushing for all freight to go by train even to areas where there is no trains.
I do have to wonder what will happen to the museum at tenterfield if the line does reopen will they stillbe able to showcase there items on display.
I guess time will tell if the labour party will look into the facts and figures on reopening the line instead of using pie in the sky numbers.