The Rail2Trail group hopes the state government will fund a project, converting 135 kilometres of unused north coast rail lines into a pathway.
But pro-rail groups say the plan is unrealistic, and could cost a similar amount to returning passenger train services to the Casino to Murwillumbah line.
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Returning trains to the tracks requires an enormous input in one go as the whole track needs to be refurbished before 1 train could run. In comparison the rail2trail idea can be done in sections over several years and as each section is completed and gets used more people will see the benefits and be able to petition the three levels of government more effectively .
It is very questionable that to restore the track, and in particular the bridges, to be able to hold multi TONNE trains compared to a multi KILO group of cyclists would be the same cost – to completely replace sleepers for 20kms is estimated to cost $20million – I don’t believe that removing them would cost a fraction of this plus it would be possible to sell sleepers to recover some of that cost