Significant steps have been taken by Byron Shire Council toward creating a bike and pedestrian pathway along parts of the old rail line in the Shire, moving away from its previous position of supporting a return of trains to the tracks.

Building a rail trail for bikes and pedestrians in the northern and western sections of the Byron rail corridor is far more feasible than attempting a mixed-use option that combines trains and a trail, an investigation commissioned by Byron Council has found.

The last Tweed Shire Council meeting (18 May, 2023) saw the Reusable Nappy Rebate Scheme adopted by councillors, the rail trail impacts were discussed...

On Sunday a 75 year-old man fell down the steep side of the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail near Crabbes Creek and breaking his hip. 

Damage to the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail by a 4WD vehicle overnight earlier this week has left both the community and Tweed Council 'disappointed’.

The first section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail opened yesterday on 1 March, a decade after the idea was first floated, and almost two decades after the last train plied the line.

Byron Council will consider funding further investigations into getting trains back on the tracks in the Shire, despite strong criticisms of the reports on the matter that have been prepared to date.

The debate over our disused rail corridor has long gone stale. It is acrimonious, ideological, and exhibits a strong tendency to avoid key points.

The last ‘surf train’ ran in 2004, and the rusty tracks have lain quiet since then while railway enthusiasts lobbied for its return, and others championed a scenic ‘rail trail’.