A campaigner in favour of the disused rail line through Glen Innes being turned into a trail says a newly published report makes the project more likely.
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Armidale Regional Council commissioned a report on the cost of reopening the rail line north to Tenterfield and the researchers concluded that the cost was high and the demand by people and companies to use trains was too low to make the return of rail feasible.
The conclusion has been welcomed by campaigners for the disused line to be turned into a “rail trail.
David Mills who chairs the New England Rail Trail group said: “Having the facts by an independent assessor will only assist us to move forward.”
He wants a rigorous assessment now done of a rail trail.
The report commissioned by Armidale Regional Council from outside experts concluded that the capital cost of upgrading the often over-grown railway would be close to half a billion dollars, around $2.5 million per kilometre.
And for every dollar spent, a return of just 34 cents would be made.
The rail line hasn’t been operational since the mid 1970’s, timber structures lie dilapidated, steel sleepers need to be installed and debris needs to be removed, along with a whole host of other upgrades to meet national safety standards.
Looking at demand, the AEC Group which did the study determined 200 people would use the train for work each day, and 550 for leisure.
“The modelling for the project shows the proposal is not feasible,” the AEC report read.