In response to an article by Tanya Langdon
ARC report to the council meeting today (22 Oct 2025) under item 9.2 states that the rail trail from Armidale to Ben Lomond will attract 9,000 day visitors and 11,400 overnight stayers annually. Income to be generated is based on these estimates. My question is, if the annual day visitors are 9,000, where do the extra 2,400 overnight stayers come from? Will they be locals who are fed up living in their own or rented homes, who may feel excited about the rail trail for a ride and decide to sleep over? Or has the consultant got the numbers wrong? Should it logically be 11,400 day visitors and 9,000 overnight stayers? This seems to be a numbers game to convince government authorities who will ultimately decide on the viability and community benefits of a rail trail that seeks to remove the rail line and sell the steel to make a buck.
More importantly, the Halliburton report (2018), from which these numbers are taken, assumed that visitors who come to ride this rail trail will not go the full length from Armidale to Glen Innes (103 km) but will ride the trail in sections while staying overnight. However, the proposed rail trail by ARC is shorter than the full length. The rest belongs to the Glen Innes Severn Council area. The ARC section is about 60 km. Do you think a cyclist who comes to Armidale or Ben Lomond to ride this rail trail will ride, for example, 2 km and then stay overnight, wake up the next morning to ride another 20 km and stay again, followed by another ride and sleepover? Or will those cyclists ride for 20 km and return to Armidale to take the train back to Tamworth, Newcastle, Werris Creek, or Sydney? Can you see how airy-fairy these numbers are?
I hope the readers of the New England Times will put their thinking hat on to anything the council says about this rail trail plan, including the way it seeks to raise nearly $600,000 from an external source. If this external source is an energy company in the New England REZ, there is a council policy in relation to handling such funds for community benefit. You can access the policy by visiting the policy section. I hope the council staff follow due process when negotiating with renewable energy companies for any further funds for the rail trail project, because many community members are waiting to know whether other deserving community projects can also access such funds. I note that the Terms of Reference for the Future Fund, promised by the Mayor last year to manage such funds from renewable energy companies in the New England REZ, have not yet been finalised.
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Another day, another anti rail trail propaganda piece….
Easily answered, 9000 is the number of people who come for a day trip. 11,300 is the number of folks who come for more than a day. Add those together and thats the total number of visitors. These are things an academic such as yourself, Siri, should be able to grasp easily enough.
What would make sense is if Armidale exploited its tourism potential with all the national parks to the east of here then also taking advantage of the Dumaresq Dam facilities by extending the cycleway leading from the tourist information centre and offering cycle hiring along with parking facilities for those wishing to make a day of it by riding out and back.
To be honest there’s enough to stop over for a few nights that tourists would spread the word about in the meantime.
Brian Flint – what is wrong with some tourists, particularly families and others who like the gradual inclines and safety of a rail trail? We also have a mountain bike facility being developed at Tenterfield. The New England could become a cycling hub for all types of cyclists.
Armidale will be a 15 minute city. There is no way the government will spend money on a train no one will be allowed to use. Give it up.
Buzz Buzz seems the game is to isolate everyone or further disadvantage the disadvantaged.
Welcome to utopia.
Buzz Buzz do you live in Armidale do you know what locals want for out town?
Buzz Buzz buzz off!
Oh they all have the same regurgitated business plan for rail trails all with the same figures.
They get them at the bottom of the nut mix boxes.
There is no chance of these best case figures for the bike path ever actually happening
David Buckley- curious as to why you are qualified to make that statement? Are you involved in rail trail planning or administration?
Indeed, all utterly inflated & misleading to the unassuming general public. Keep making noise. It is only going to continue getting louder as more communities are enlightened.
As always…so sensible, Brian. But I guess sensible, these days, is not a money spinner 😵💫
People arguing figures should do a bit of research on BVRT and the enormous economic benefits it has had on Somerset area or more locally the NRRT where numbers have far exceeded expectations