Could this be the year that Byron Shire Council takes meaningful, decisive action on building a rail trail between Mullumbimby and Byron Bay?

The 20th National Rail Safety Week is being marked with a solemn ceremony at the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek in northern NSW today. The ceremony will honour rail workers who have died in service to Australia’s rail network.

Starting at just $1, the auction of the retired Oasis Broadbeach monorail will happen tomorrow.

More than 800 people had signed a petition calling for a new rail trail to be built next to, rather than in place of, the existing disused railway line running through the shire.

The question of what to do with the disused rail corridor remains a hot debate 15 years after the last train ran. Rail trail, rail only, rail with trail; it seems the only thing people can agree on is that the corridor is being squandered while it sits unused.