Several competing ideas for the future of the disused rail line in southern NSW were put forward for Snowy Monaro Regional Council’s consideration. Photo: Gail Eastaway.
The future of a long-awaited rail project in the Snowy Monaro is taking shape, as the local council locks in a plan for its first section.
At a recent meeting, Snowy Monaro Regional Council (SMRC) voted to move ahead with a plan for part of the disused rail corridor, which, at its full extent, runs more than 200 kilometres to Queanbeyan.
Much of the discussion focused on how the council should utilise a short section of the track (set to be about five kilometres long) near Bombala.
An amended meeting agenda states that while Transport for NSW (TfNSW) had previously indicated that an agreement would cover a 61-kilometre section of the track, this has been scaled back.
Council CEO Noreen Vu told the meeting this update came after “updated conversations” with TfNSW.
It means the council had to decide whether to move ahead with its existing plans for an on-formation rail trail (meaning it would be built where the disused tracks are).
Supplementary meeting papers point to several community groups calling for a shared-use corridor (where the rail trail would be built alongside the existing railway so the latter could be used in the future).
During the lengthy discussion, Councillor Narelle Davis said moving ahead with the former option would reduce the risk to SMRC.
“There is an enormous risk with having a shared trail with our limited funds, with an unknown environment … My view is, this business paper has informed us of the risk,” she said.
“The risks are low with going with the original option … Going with a shared trail has a much higher risk.”
Cr Tricia Hopkins urged her fellow councillors to support the approach.
“It does not kill off what the Friends of Bombala Railway are hoping to do in terms of activating the precinct,” she said of the proposal.
The meeting heard that, so far, SMRC has spent $86,000 of its $1 million grant for the project.
During the discussion, Mayor Chris Hanna said that it would ”pretty much scrap” the shared-use corridor option.
Cr Andrew Thaler was highly critical of the proposal, saying it would “crash and trash” the project.
He urged his fellow councillors to support the off-formation option.
“You are voting for the destruction of a three-party agreement,” he said. ”You are voting for the destruction of a potential future heritage rail.
“You are voting for this council to pull up the rail in whole lengths and store them somewhere.” (The meeting papers state that previously, SMRC had voted to keep and store the removed rails.)
Cr Andrew Thaler urged SMRC to choose a different approach to the project. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
He also failed to win support for a motion that would defer a decision until later this year.
He said more time was needed to properly consider the information (including the costs around the shorter stretch) within the supplementary agenda.
“Some councillors have mentioned they did not know there was an amended version … That’ll [a deferral] mean all councillors will have plenty of time to review the amended motion and material,” he said.
The papers state the community stakeholder groups, including the Friends of Bombala Railway, had agreed to the shared-use corridor in a November 2025 meeting.
For the group’s president, Allen Simpson, the decision is disappointing.
Speaking after the meeting, he told Region that he felt it was another delay in the project.
“Every time councils do this, they delay everything that’s happening with the program,” he said.
He said the group would be waiting on the outcome of further conversations with TfNSW.
“We plan to run pedal carts out of the station. That, also, is a doable thing. It’s not up to us. It’s not up to council. It’s up to Transport for NSW.”
Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.
