I believe a large section of the NE community totally congratulate the NET for asking very serious questions about the Rail Trail funding from the REZ proponents, ARC and Tf NSW.
There is simply no way the region’s economy, lifestyle and future can exist without a quality freight and passenger rail service.
The region has as many as 100.000 kms of bike trails and tracks that are largely documented. https://www.newenglandhighcountry.com.au/cycling-in-armidale shows the tip of the iceberg.
The concept of Rail Trails in Armidale, Regions and State is fundamentally unsound, based on questionable statistics and absence of KPI’s to report outcomes.
I encourage the NETimes to expose the true facts.
Got something on your mind? Go on then, engage. Submit your opinion piece, letter to the editor, or Quick Word now.
Fact check required for “100,000 kms of bike trails”.
Totally unsubstantiated claims throughout this “piece”. Why do his ridiculous claims continue to get air time in this paper?
Steve Hodges rail trail pieces give them engagement. Its basically ragebait
Steve Hodges Why should we silence him? Where’s your opinion piece?
– His claims are not truthful that is why. There are not 100000 km of bike trails in the New England. What nonsense. Will you publish an opinion piece from me that claimed an additional 1 million tourists would come
to the New England region each month if a rail trail was built?
The trails the author of the opinion piece refer to are actually routes that dedicated cyclists have put together to challenge themselves and are not all suitable for families. They are on shared public roads. And the claim there are over 100,000 km of trails is not only disingenuous, its laughably false.
Shane McGee how many are suitable for families? Provide your statistics.
Siri Gamage look at the routes themselves Siri. Waterfall Way for example, has a lot of traffic, including heavy vehicles travelling on it every day.
Siri Gamage I’ve already explained this to you numerous times that those longer routes are for experienced, dedicated cyclists that are looking for a challenge. A rail trail opens up cycling AND hiking to a wider demographic, not just experienced cyclists. This too has been explained to you personally, and in the comments of numerous anti-rail trail opinion pieces that are published.
Its almost as if you feign ignorance whenever these issues are mentioned.
The New England Times has a very clear agenda when it comes to this subject.
Russell Maxwell you are equally welcome to submit you opinion to Engage. This is not our opinion, and we have no agenda.
New England Times I understand your point but at the same time do you vet any of these opinion pieces to ensure they are not total nonsense. Would you publish an opinion piece claiming Armidale council is actually run by Lizard people who live in an underground hive??
Russell Maxwell It depends on how well written it was and whether they had evidence for their claim I guess.
I would like the community of the Armidale Regional Council (and ONLY that community) to be consulted regarding the possibility of a Rail Trail as this has not happened. Council is making this decision on behalf of the community yet that community has not been asked, which has resulted in division within our community. During ‘hard’ times’ and these times are hard, we need to work towards uniting our community, not dividing it. With upcoming Council elections (or any election where voting is professionally and rigorously monitored and counted ) why not have a simple question included in this election process – “Do you support ARC’s allocation of time, money and resources to the development of a Rail Trail?” With either a “Yes” or “No” answer, the community has their say, and we move forward. Does anyone know the process, timelines and procedures that need to be done to make this happen?
Lou Forsythe So a local referendum?
Lou Forsythe the rail trail effects a rail line from Sydney to Toowoomba it’s much bigger then just Armidale or Glen Innes. Which is why the government requires surrounding support when community consultations are held.
Tanya Langdon Yes, it is much bigger than the Armidale region but it is the budget of the Armidale Council that is being used to do the planning now and then the construction. For this reason, the Armidale Regional Council community needs to be asked if they agree with this, or not.
Lou Forsythe there basically has been no community consultation locally regarding the rail trail, a few information sessions with very little information was presented. Not to mention that was a decade ago and the project has changed scope and budget many times.
Tanya Langdon Exactly! 🙂 It’s time for the community to have their say – where votes can be counted for and against, and then we all move forward and support whatever the outcome is.
Lou Forsythe- Tanya will only recognise the vote if it is in favour of trains. Hate to rain on her train parade though but the council has no control whether a train comes back after 37 years…
Lou Forsythe They could put a questionnaire with rate notices. What’s more, any consultations should be equally spent on the yes and no cases. Spending money for a pre-determined outcome doesn’t pass muster.
Michael Hargreaves A rates notice would only include those people who pay rates, whereas at an official election, everybody is included, and only those within the Armidale Region are able to vote. Whenever either the Rail Trail, or the Rail Line are mentioned in social media, people from all round the world ‘participate’ in the discussion along with bogus account holders trying to sway the community to their side.
Lou Forsythe100% it would only include ratepayers – the very people who’ll end up footing the bill once the grant money runs out.
Why would any of us consider the opinions of an old man from Newcastle? Out of touch with the needs of younger generations and our local region. He doesn’t even live here. Wake up NET you are sounding like a gullible broken record.
Kade Smith you are welcome to submit your own comments. Rail trail supporters angry that their opinions don’t get on the site that they did not submit their opinions to is starting to sound like a broken record to us.
What a waste of money
Steve Groth- The obscene amount that would need to be spent on returning rail certainty is!
Sunny Higginson tourists/freight…alternative to road travel..a million dollar bike track for a dozen people..mmm
Steve Groth- if there was freight of any description l, why is it not occurring to and from Armidalte now? What magical freight is going to appear if we open this dead line? A tourist train a week going to pay the billion dollars to restore the line? You are in cuckoo land.
Steve Groth yes, we have one here in the Northern Rivers…. that once fantastic rail system, ripped up, gone forever with a concrete rail trail, that is ok if you can ride a bike.
Sunny Higginson sorry for having an opinion…
Lily O Chops- I assume you can walk? You are able to
access the trail then. Who said you need a bike? You do realise too that the train line was closed for 20 years before the trail went in? Did you also realise at the time of its closure each passenger trip was subsidised by the taxpayer to the tune of $203 per trip?
Steve Groth- we all can dream of a train (I certainly prefer them to a bus) but realism dictates we will never have a train on this corridor again. There is no prospect for freight or passenger numbers that would remotely make it viable. Hence after 37 years, numerous changes of govts and councils no one in charge will pay for a railway to return.
Sunny Higginson I am disabled, so you assume wrong.
Lily O Chops- Sections of the trail are certainly wheelchair accessible and there is “cycling without age” that takes elderly and disabled people for rides on the trail in special trikes. I will not presume (as I got that wrong before) but can I ask is it not more preferable to have door to door specialised disabled transport rather than battling to get to a train that came once a day and then having to battle once you reached your destination station?
Whom gets specialised door to door transport? On the North Coast here there are tens of thousands of people including me whom would love the option to get onto a train. The amount of people that travel, for example, to Lismore daily, one person a car, 5 days a week, whom could hop on a train, and rest on the way to work would astound you. Anyhow enjoy your trail.
Sunny Higginson your opinion.is backed by wat??
Lily O Chops- NDIS participants can access transport. I assume you have access to the NDIS with your disability?
You assume alot Sunny, are you ok ?
Lily O Chops- I am fine. All I was doing was addressing some of your comments and in particular seeking access to the NDIS.
Rick Barnyard is correct. There is not one financial report with verifiable figures that shows any benefit for any “rail trail”. This idea is a giant white elephant and rate payers will be forced to suffer the financial burden.
Going for comedian of the year again David Renn? 😂😂
Sunny Higginson so prove me wrong! You find a financial report. I know you won’t as the only “reports” available are merely opinions with no factual basis.
David Rennhttps://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/_/media/travelandtransport/cycling/bike-tourism/bvrt-bike-tourism-case-study.pdf?sc_lang=en&hash=2CE31CEA2E48D84EB69E8722331BA031
So much for transparency and the connections between the new England energy projects and the rail trail/rail line are starting to come to light.
Makes you wonder why they are so hell bent on destroying the rail corridor, is it for a rail trail or is there something else behind all of this. Considering there’s planned Rez projects that border on the train line, you have to wonder if it all just makes it easier for the energy companies to move in.