[Greens-Media] FW: MEDIA RELEASE: 'Close Byron Council Vote on Rail Trails Reveals No Community Consensus on Proposal to Rip up Casino to Murwillumbah Line' (Greens NSW Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC)

[Matthew Hilton]

Media Release

10.10.2014







Close Byron Council Vote on Rail Trails Reveals No Community Consensus on Proposal to Rip up Casino to Murwillumbah Line



Greens NSW MP and Transport Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, has stated that the closeness of the recent vote in Byron Council to support a rail trail, that would weaken protections for the railway corridor and jeopardise future public transport for the Northern Rivers should not green light the Northern Rivers Rail Trail proposal..



Dr Faruqi said:



"The Government has said that it would only pursue a rail trail if it had broad community support and the closeness of the vote shows that this is far from the case.



"To say that a rail trail would preserve the rail corridor is incorrect. The reality is NSW already has the strongest protections for rail corridors of any other state.



"The seventy million dollars earmarked to rip up the rail line would be much better spent on real transport solutions for this burgeoning region.



"The community rightfully want commuter transport that connects large regional centres to other cities and towns.



"Converting the Casino-Murwillumbah line to a rail trail would be a death knell to any hope for public transport solutions that are desperately needed in Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers region.



"Rail trails can be great for recreation and tourism purposes in some circumstances, but not at the expense of essential regional public transport services. We should be reinstating regional rail services as a priority and building rail trails alongside them.



Media contact: Matt Hilton 0423 106 247