1. Climate

One attraction of the New England is its cool winter climate with spectacular autumn scenery, largely due to its altitude. Summers can be hot and the humidity low.

The climate of the region is attractive to visitors and tourists.

The climate is also conducive to cold climate agriculture and horticulture.

The cool moist winter nights can cause smoke form house fires hang in the valleys. 

Due to the low vehicle density and the low number of factories there is little emissions impaction on the climate and atmosphere. However the New England Region has to comply with all of the NSW state and federal emission policies and targets.

2. Decarbonisation

NSW has a Net Zero target so the identification of emissions is important and essential for planning strategies to achieve the target.

Which sectors create the most greenhouse gas emissions?

Increasing the use of rail for both passengers and freight is a proven strategy to reduce emissions. The future use of electricity as an energy source for trains greatly reduces emissions. Feeding wind power direct into the rail network could greatly reduce the need for transmission lines.

Rail transport has significant advantages over trucks from an environmental perspective.

It is commonly accepted that railways consume up to 9x less energy per tonne-kilometer traveled than trucks and that trains can be up to 5x more fuel-efficient than trucks

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Rick Banyard
Project Director
New England Transport Plan
12-jun-2025