The land our GNR line runs over can never be sold off easily! It is guaranteed to remain owned by the NSW Government, under NSW legislation.
If the NERT cycling/walking trail fails to attract estimated number of visitors, or the $5.5 million of estimated income, then it will become a liability on Armidale Council and the rate payers.
Q. HOW CAN THE NERT RAIL TRAIL GENERATE $5.5 million revenue, when Tweed Shire’s similar trail generates only $2.5 million annually, according to their business case?
Q. How can there be more overnight stayers forecast, compared to day visitors for the completed NERT project?
These are some of the holes in the NERT business case, to begin with.
The proposed cycling/walking trail, as described by NERT, is not the silver bullet for our problems in the areas managed by Armidale Region Council. Their funding priorities needs to be: fix the urgent water supply problem for residents, solve smoke problems from wood heaters, fix the hydrotherapy pool problem, manage weed issues and more.
Why is the NERT cycling/walking trail a priority for ARC to spend $1.5 million now, just for the preliminary work?
Siri Gamage
30-apr-2026