In all the kerfuffle about the Byron Masterplan and the proposed bus terminal on the Butler Street reserve, not one person has mentioned the one thing that would save us wasting $20-million-plus on infrastructure to increase road transport, a train service.
With a valuable train line and train station in the centre of town, there’s absolutely no need for anyone to arrive in Byron (or Bangalow or Mullum) by road.
Building the 22-kilometre section of line from Murwillumbah to Coolangatta would allow the millions who arrive at the airport to travel to Byron by rail.
It will also provide easy access for locals to medical and education facilities, and allow our young people to access well paid employment in Brisbane without the need to relocate away from families.
It’s time the state government, who are happy to keep providing seemingly unlimited funds to promote tourism in the region, which is overwhelming our local communities, started funding the necessary transport services.
Exactly what is the government’s plan to deal with a doubling of traffic to the region in the next decade? More expensive roads and bypasses carving up our communities? Expensive multi-story car-parks on rail land? Anything but trains it seems.
You would think that with the arrival in Byron of the world’s first Solar Train, people might start to rethink the ineffective, polluting, wasteful way we are doing things in the 21st century. But apparently not.
Louise Doran, Ocean Shores
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
