The Tweed Council section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail is a 24km section that stretches from the Murwillumbah Railway Station to Crabbes Creek and work is starting on the construction.
‘The first official works will include restoration and resurfacing of the historic Colin Street Bridge in South Murwillumbah. A compacted gravel surface will also be installed along a 200 metre stretch of the disused rail line to trial the installation process and evaluate the surface’s suitability for local conditions. As part of this process, a section of the old railway track will be removed to enable construction of the new surface,’ said a Tweed Shire Council spokesperson.
Rail and trail
However, there has been an ongoing pushback against the removal of the rails for the rail trail with many locals calling for the rail trail to be built beside the track rather than on formation. ‘On formation’ requires the removal of the rails and then a bike track is built there instead.
At the time of approving the construction of the rail trail contract there was a submission for a rail trail to be built alongside the rails however, this bid did not get accepted by the Tweed Shire Council.
Bill Fenelon who ran in the recent Tweed Shire Council elections advocated ‘for a retention of rail lines along with the creation of rail-trail cycleways. I would like to see a rail connection between the Gold Coast and Casino, connecting our region to Brisbane and Sydney.’
First works getting underway
Project Director Iain Lonsdale said that ‘Murwillumbah locals may have seen the main site office set up at the Murwillumbah Station in recent days and people may start to see crews preparing for the first construction works, set to begin at Dunbible on 15 December’.
‘It is really important to us that we respect our Aboriginal heritage and our built environment and I am proud this project will restore so much of this important local history and put it on show for people to enjoy and learn more,’ Mr Lonsdale said.
‘The Rail Trail will be a fantastic resource for our community and make the Tweed an even greater place to visit, helping our local businesses to thrive,’ said Tweed Council’s Senior Economic Development Officer Kym Kranen.
‘It will be a destination for the whole community to enjoy – whether you want a safe place to ride with friends and family, go on a long distance ride with your cycle club, or just walk through the countryside to explore local villages, experience our beautiful scenic landscapes or learn about local history.’
When completed, the Northern Rivers Rail Trail will be 132km rail corridor between Murwillumbah and Casino. The Tweed section will link Murwillumbah Railway Station with the Tweed Regional Gallery and travel south through the villages of Stokers Siding, Burringbar, Mooball and Crabbes Creek.
To learn more and let us know your thoughts about how we can make the most of this new community resource, or to register your business interest, visit yoursaytweed.com.au/railtrail.
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