This week NBN News is featuring a special series on Newcastle’s heavy rail line – something which has divided the city, in more ways than one.
Over the next three nights, we’ll present opinions from both sides of the debate, and look at what’s going to replace train services from Boxing Day.
But first: the history.
Jane Goldsmith reports…
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*** It was actually in the ‘1926 A.G.C. Tewksbury Report’ when the first idea of cutting the railway line at Wickham was concieved, not in 2005 as NBN Television portrays. The grand plan was published in the ‘Newcastle Sun on 19th July 1926’, however back then Newcasle had an operating tramway network which was going to be incorporated into the grand plan, but the present day Newcaslte hasn’t got an operating tramway.
Opposition to Tewksbury’s plan was quick, predictable and strong as inner-city interest feared a loss of business and it was also opposed by the Railway Department, Chief Commissioner James Fraser who said he woundn’t outlay several million pounds on Tewksbury’s plan. So, Tewksbury’s plan perished in the midst of local disunity and Railway Department opposition, only for it to raise its head again in 2005 and later.
This is History repeating its self, but now in 2014 we have to contend with some very crooked and corupt local and state government representatives.