On 24 August Byron Council will be discussing the rail trail. Will they look to the future or wallow in the past?
In 2004 the Casino to Murwillumbah railway was closed. Several studies showed that the route was no longer relevant to the modern demographic spread and that maintaining a railway designed and built in 1898 was exorbitant.
Today, state and federal governments have begun to invest in this community asset, spending nearly $20 million to open both ends of a disused railway to walkers and cyclists. The community has responded and taken to this trail way beyond expectations.
A projection of 27,000 visitors in the first year was smashed in the first four months, exceeding 70,000 (potentially 210,000 in 12 months!).
As a result, the state government has committed $480,000 to an engineering and business study from Lismore to Crabbes Creek, obviously they are intending to complete this magnificent project from Casino through Byron to Murwillumbah.
A private endeavour has opened a three-kilometre stretch from Elements of Byron to town for their diesel/electric train, but when asked whether they would extend this to Mullumbimby stated ‘not without external funding’.
In nearly 20 years, after numerous studies, no government, corporation nor individual has offered funding to return the train.
The trail for pedestrians and cyclists is much cheaper to build as there are places where bridges have been bypassed and the surface is a basic road base. Maintenance will be covered by selling licences to businesses and long-term leases such as electricity easements.
Trains will require all bridges to be repaired to carry the tonnage involved, even ‘light’ rail! ‘Light trains’, actually refers to passenger use and the limited number of carriages, they still weigh 34 tonnes. They are used in urban areas amongst cars and pedestrians because they don’t travel quickly, passengers are light, and they can be stopped very quickly. All stations would need to be rebuilt; track ballasted; new sleepers, possibly rails, and rolling stock purchased; plus costs incurred for ongoing employment of railway staff and track maintenance crews.
Most train trips are multimodal, that is you need to get to a station, catch the train and then, often, other transport to your final destination. For example, a person living at Ocean Shores, going to Lismore Base Hospital, would need a bus or taxi to Mullumbimby and likewise from the Lismore station to hospital.
Most elderly, people requiring medical services or social outings, and even youth, can usually get a door-to-door service, return, through the Community Transport Company!
Community transport and buses have a service flexibility and area coverage that fixed railway lines cannot compare to.
The Bangalow community has been trying for years to get a safe pathway from Rifle Range Road to town and the local primary school, utilising the existing railway track, and yet they are ignored by this, and previous councils.
Businesses associated with the Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek rail trail are cashing in on this boom.
Tweed Shire Council recently had 150 businesses express interest in connecting to the pathway.
Destination North Coast held their symposium and awards in the Tweed recently. At both events the Tweed Rail Trail was the ‘hero’ for the region. The Tweed Tourism group titled their presentation ‘Rail Trail to Recovery’ to indicate that it is a saviour for the industry.
Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry also spoke at both events and has now become a devotee of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail. She admits to not supporting it prior to it being built, and laments this, now wanting to work to get the rest of the trail built. It was a ‘lesson learned’ for her to not necessarily listen to the loudest voices.
The tourists are a total cross section of our community, including families, retirees and elderly getting out and about, through organisations like ‘Cycling Without Age’. Some local schools now include cycling on the trail in their sports programs.
The 132km pathway could be progressively built and completed within five years; a train? Councillors – choose reality over the dream!
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. 
