In his long letter last week, Cr Peter Westheimer demonstrates how completely deluded he is about trains running again on the old north coast line. Now that the Tweed rail trail has affirmed the case for turning the disused rail corridor into a community trail, the train lobby is running a desperate rearguard action.
It’s a great shame that, despite having a seat on Byron Council, Peter is so misinformed about the corridor and the scope for a commuter rail service in our Shire. To suggest that ‘the line itself is still in good condition generally’ is simply to proclaim that you know nothing about the situation. And if the case for new local rail services is ‘as strong as ever’ it is still extraordinarily weak.
I recently wrote an article in this paper about the opening of the rail trail and reached out to Peter for comment, explaining why I thought his expectations of the train’s imminent return were misguided. He did not bother to respond. His fellow councillors offered views about the train wildly diverging from his.
If Cr Westheimer was really interested in public transport he could be making a positive contribution by advocating for enhanced bus services and better cycling infrastructure. Instead, he is misleading his constituents about a fantasy train.
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. 
