According to Mercurius Goldstein, “a 19th century rail corridor cannot meet 21st century transport needs.”

He said hopes of re-opening the line which closed decades ago were a “pipe dream”. “Locals of my acquaintance who rode the last scheduled rail service from Glen Innes in 1988 tell me it took in excess of two hours twenty minutes to roll to Armidale.

“Who would put up with that in 2018, when the same journey by road takes less than half that time?”

Instead, he is suggesting a much more frequent coach service than the current one.

“An hourly public coach could easily meet local demand for a fast, efficient and affordable service between Northern Tablelands towns, bringing shoppers, students and family members within easy reach of Armidale, its university, and all points in between.”

Legally, the line remains a railway, albeit one that hasn’t had a train for decades. Formal closure would need legislation, and this has been opposed by people who believe trains remain a viable way of connecting Glen Innes with Armidale and so the rest of New South Wales down to Sydney.

You might expect Greens to embrace the train but Mr Goldstein says that re-opening the line would be way too expensive: “Estimates for restoring the heavy rail corridor start in excess of $1 billion and nudge $2 billion.

“This from a government that won't even fund a 24-hour doctor at Glen Innes hospital? It's a pipe dream.”

Mr Goldstein does want rail to play a part in a wider New South Wales transport policy, though. “Fast passenger rail would be one preferred option, frequent regional buses another, to complement the inland heavy freight line that is already underway.”

Rail is making a come-back for freight with the Melbourne to Brisbane inland line under construction. 

But that doesn’t make the Armidale to Queensland re-opening viable, in the Green activist’s view: “Proponents for the return of heavy rail between Armidale and Wallangarra have had 30 years to convince the NSW government of their position, and the result is a 220km long paddock with a few sheep keeping the weeds down. It's time for a different tack.”