The time has come: Let’s build a Northern Rivers rail trail

THE Northern Star is strongly urging its readership to back a proposal to build a Rail Trail along the disused Casino to Murwillumbah rail line.

GIVEN the protest history of the Northern Rivers there are a lot of people prepared to come out and say they are 'against' things and often there are very good reasons behind that.

It seems much tougher in our region if you are 'for' something and want to see things built and forge ahead.

That is why The Northern Star is coming out today and strongly urging its readership to back a proposal to build a Rail Trail along the disused Casino to Murwillumbah rail line.

There is broad political support for it at a local and state government level and the time has come to kick the project forward a little bit.

Last we heard in the NSW budget there was money available for infrastructure projects.

It would take $75 million to build the rail trail, so if the money is there, let's go out and grab it and get this project built.

Opponents of a Rail Trail claim it would prevent a rail service ever being reinstated along this rail corridor.

Not so.

If a future government wanted to spend the money to restore the rail line they still could, and let's not forget that $75 million would be the first significant money spent on the corridor since train services ceased a decade ago.

As a companion to The Northern Star's Rail Trail campaign we'd also like to push for a realistic regional public transport solution and would also back the longer term aim of high speed rail for the area.

In the first instance I'd like our readers to get on board the We Want a Rail Trail campaign.