Trail may get back on track as rescission motion tabled at council | opinion

Then councillors narrowly voted to delay the start of a 9.8km section of trail between Armidale station and Dumaresq station, a delay which could force the return of a $5.4million federal grant awarded under Black Summer Bushfire Recovery.

There has been public outcry since from both passenger and freight rail restoration advocates, including Trains North, and community members for a rail trail with a vision to tourism economy dollars.

The Armidale Express has received multiple letters from residents angry about the April motion which will further delay, or at worst, halt the start of the rail trail.

Trains North approached parliament with a petition of around 11,000 signatures seeking the return of passenger rail, but parliament did little more than to say it would need a business case to even consider looking at the rail corridor.

Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison penned in a letter that the government currently had no money set aside to consider re-instating the line, which has gone unused for 34 years.

Meanwhile, a petition almost directly opposite that of Trains North - in support of building the rail trail - has garnered over 5100 signatures in the last two weeks. Some councillors have questioned why the trail motion was for nearly 10km between Armidale and Dumaresq and not a previously discussed 34km section between Ben Lomond and Black Mountain.

The Armidale Express understands the $5.4m government grant will allow for the provision of the initial 10km stage and for studies and EIS reports for the remaining 50-odd kilometres that will join the Armidale leg with the 34km section within in the Glen Innes Severn Shire.

"All government projects, whether they be local, state or federal government, are built in stages, even the Great Northern Railway built in the late 1800s. This was stage 1, the hardest stage, after 10 years of intense work by local community, fully funded to build and fully funded to maintain for the next 20 years. Momentum builds as the stages progress, creating interest and further funding opportunities," One supporter of the trail petition wrote.

Trains North rail advocate Siri Gamage describes the rail trail as a "contentious issue".

"Armidale Regional Council on 24th April considered a proposal to divert the $5.4 M Bushfire grant received from the federal government to construct Black Mountain to Ben Lomond section of the proposed rail trail for a 9.3km Section between Armidale Station and Dumaresq. It is stated as the 1st stage," Mr Gamage said.

"If approved, $1.6M of the grant is to be used for preliminary work. After considering the proposal and recommendations granting the General Manager to sign deeds for the grant and lease of corridor, majority of councillors voted for an amended motion seeking further information about the costs to the Council.

"They also wanted the council to examine the possibilities of re-purposing the grant for other priority community projects. This is welcome by many fair-minded rate payers because rushing to a decision on an important subject like the future use of northern rail line for a recreational purpose requiring the removal of existing rail infrastructure as well as many unknown costs has become a very contentious issue."

While Trains North remain well-intentioned in their advocacy for the restoration of freight and passenger rail between Armidale and the Queensland border, the state and federal government at face value remain hesitant to do anything with the line.

Both Armidale and Glen Innes councils have made clear that the rail corridor would remain open should either the state or federal governments wish to restore the rail line.

This creates the conundrum that it is no longer a rail trail or rail restoration debate, but rather one where it's a rail trail or nothing.

Councillors will vote on the rescission motion and (if successful) a further motion to plan a timeline of construction to use the federal government grant for the opening stage of the trail at an extraordinary meeting on Monday, May 13.