Save the Great Northern Rail line Group | Community organisation

Save the Great Northern Rail line Group

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25.01.2022 All aboard for Wallangarra to Sydney!

25.01.2022 Train loads of tourists! A possibility that Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council seek to deny to New England through their ongoing inane and flawed campaign to have the railway north of #Armidale formally closed and torn up for a bike track that very few actually want! And a bike track that would become a huge burden on already cash strapped ratepayer funds. #NoNERT... #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains See more

24.01.2022 Who really in their right mind wants to see our railway ripped up for a bike track? This nonsense must be defeated and our railway reopened for trains that would be available to everyone so they could enjoy scenery like this rather than a small minority who for some reason demand railways be ripped up! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains... Photo courtesy of Jayson Sharman Photography and Glen Innes Visitor Information Centre via Instagram.

23.01.2022 Hydrogen fuel cell trains considered a success after racking up 180,000 kilometers of service and 14 diesel multiple unit railcar sets will be replaced with this efficient rollingstock in 2022 in one particular European opeation. We have a railway that could be used in conjunction with pioneering rollingstock like this to offer super efficient and environmentally friendly operations in New England, even more so than the already existing and efficient traditional operations. A...rmidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council could be a part of an exciting future like this if they advocated for retaining and reopening our railway but instead, and contrary to the charters they should be working too, these two councils foolishly support the formal closure and tearing up of our existing railway for a bike track that few want and that would become an overbearing burden on New England ratepayers for no tangible benefit. Neither LGA is in a financial position to take on such a monstrosity. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

23.01.2022 The Xplorer passenger train service arriving at the junction station of Werris Creek this afternoon. The last two cars will detach from the front four cars, come back and then travel onto Moree via the line on left of of the station. The front four cars will continue to Armidale, should be Glen Innes and Tenterfield! Interestingly, the set to Armidale is normally a three car set. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

19.01.2022 During last week legislation to formally close sections of the casino to murwillumbah railway was introduced. While this page advocates for the GNR it would still be appreciated if our followers could sign and share this ePetition to stop the formal closure. Thanks for everyone's support.

18.01.2022 Llangothlin platform, between Guyra and Ben Lomond on the Great Northern Railway. Heritage trains could still stop at and use this platform. Reopening our railway would provide infinitely greater good to the New England community than ripping it up for a bike track that is largely unwanted and would become a burden on ratepayers. #NoNERT... #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains #heritage #history #train #trains #station #rail #railways #passenger #freight #transport #llangothlin #guyra #benlomond #armidale

17.01.2022 Armidale Regional Ratepayers Association Inc are asking what many others are asking; why can't any bike track / trail be constructed adjacent to existing roads and / or the existing railway which still remains in situ? To date, Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council have relentlessly pursued the railway destroying bike track proposal which would see our railway formally closed and torn up, with complete disregard for any opportunity for compromise and in comp...lete defiance of what the overwhelming majority want (to have our railway reopened for trains). #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

17.01.2022 The Sydney bound Xplorer service from Moree departs Boggabri yesterday. This service will later amalgamate at Werris Creek with the service from Armidale and continue to Sydney as one train. Boggabri has a population of 856 people (2016 census) and is serviced by a regular passenger train, yet Guyra, Glen Innes and Tenterfield with populations much greater haven't been serviced by regular passenger trains since the 90's and 80's. The treacherous railway destroying rail trail... advocacy of both Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council is actually working to deny any possibility of reintroducing trains north of Armidale. This idiocy must be stopped! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

15.01.2022 Reopen our railway! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

13.01.2022 How disheartening it is to see Armidale Regional Council wasting precious ratepayer resources on a railway destroying bike track proposal that few actually support when its ratepayers are calling for the council to maintain its existing infrastructure, including (as in this case) roads! The priorities of this council to date have been highly questionable. Hopefully the period of administration that this council now finds itself in will allow an opportunity to address these i...ssues. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

13.01.2022 The NSW Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock MP has served Armidale Regional Council with a notice that she intends to suspend the council for three months and appoint an administrator. The council has been given 14 days to respond. While we don't suggest this development is directly related to the council's inane and improper support for the largely unwanted railway destroying bike track proposal, it is not beyond the realm of possibilities that the council's failu...re to properly represent the community on the future of our railway and the arguably underhanded way that the rail trail proposal is being prosecuted, may have been factors in the Minister's decision. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

12.01.2022 Here's an LGA (Byron Shire Council) doing what they are supposed to be doing and championing for the reopening of their railway and re-invigoration of rail transport for the betterment of their community. Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council could learn much from this! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

11.01.2022 A predawn image from this morning of Werris Creek Railway Station, which is the junction of our railway and the line to Moree and beyond.

10.01.2022 A twilight video of the Armidale bound Xplorer service approaching Uralla tonight. Through out the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, these services have still operated. Air travel at the best of times is simply unaffordable as a regular travel option for a large proportion of the New England community and has proved to be unreliable and unpredictable at times during the pandemic. Trains are probably the safest public transport option in consideration of COVID-19 safeguards a...s passengers can be spread out much more effectively along a train than they can in buses or aircraft. In a post COVID-19 world, rail passenger services may find a surge in popularity and usage and this option should be available to New Englanders north of Armidale via a reopened railway! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains #Armidale #Uralla

10.01.2022 A letter to the editor of the Armidale Express, from a supporter of the rail trail concept but questioning why a rails-with-trails compromise isn't on the table. The answer is that the main proponents of the proposal refuse to compromise! For clarity, we don't consider cyclists and hikers to be the enemy. Our enemy is New England Rail Trail Inc, Armidale Regional Council and Glen Innes Severn Council whilst those entities continue to advocate for our railway to be formally closed and torn up for a bike track!

09.01.2022 Locos 4433 and 4523 on NL7 North Mail climbing north of Llangothlin and toward Ben Lomond on the Great Northern Railway in July 1986. Photograph by Ian Dunn and used with permission.

09.01.2022 3313 on the 'Glen Innes Mail' between Armidale and Glen Innes. 30/5/63. From The Graeme Bedwin Collection.

08.01.2022 Armidale Regional Council can't maintain existing services and infrastructure without a permanent rate increase? Why then is this council continuing to advocate for a railway destroying bike track that would cost ratepayers even more? Utter nonsense Viv! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

08.01.2022 RAILS THAT REVEAL RAIL TRAIL ADVOCATES ARE LOOSE WITH THE TRUTH! Time and time again, we have seen rail trail advocates claim that the entire track structure would have to be ripped up and replaced to reopen the railway north of Armidale. This is of course nonsense! According to John Holland Rail’s Train Operating Conditions (TOC) Manual, the line from Werris Creek to Armidale is suitable for locomotives with axle loads up to 22 tonnes and freight wagons with axle loads up to... 20.25 tonnes! And the line to Armidale includes sections of rails as light as 80lb / yard (approximately 40kg / metre) as depicted in the photographs. These 80lb rails (rolled over 100 years ago!) can be found on the mainline at Uralla (within the currently operational railway). The photographed rails are actually on the main running line and not on a siding or crossing loop. Each photograph is of an 80lb rail from different manufacturers, all rails being rolling early last century. Rolling details can be seen on each rail. It should also be noted that these rails are also able to be welded to remove mechanical joints. The rails north of Armidale are predominately a mix of 80lb and 94lb. With suitable resleepering, these rails are suitable for reuse in reopening our railway. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains #rail #rails #railway #history #transport #passenger #freight #tourism #trains #Armidale #Uralla @ Uralla, New South Wales

08.01.2022 The Armidale bound Xplorer service approaching Uralla tonight. Through out the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, these services have still operated. Air travel at the best of times is simply unaffordable as a regular travel option for a large proportion of the New England community and has proved to be unreliable and unpredictable at times during the pandemic. Trains are probably the safest public transport option in consideration of COVID-19 safeguards as passengers can be ...spread out much more effectively along a train than they can in buses or aircraft. In a post COVID-19 world, rail passenger services may find a surge in popularity and usage and this option should be available to New Englanders north of Armidale via a reopened railway! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains #Armidale #Uralla

07.01.2022 The Sydney bound Xplorer service approaching Woolbrook, not long into its run from Armidale this morning. Mind you, a run that should be commencing from Glen Innes or even Tenterfield! Great photograph by Luke Herbert. #NoNERT ... #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains See more

06.01.2022 Alco's on the charge through Uralla! A short video, taken in October 2017, of a ballast train headed by Alco locomotives, charging through Uralla. Locomotives were: 872, 852, 4477 & 864.... We're advised that another ballast train program will soon commence on the Great Northern Railway to #Armidale. These trains should also be running north! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

06.01.2022 The Sydney bound Xplorer services crosses another train at Bells Gate, between Werris Creek and Qurindi on the 12th November 2020. The service from Armidale had just amalgamated at Werris Creek with the service from Moree and the train continues as one to Sydney. This is a service that should be available to New England residents, north of Armidale by simply reopening the existing railway and extending the service that currently terminates at Armidale. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

05.01.2022 This obsession with ripping up our railways for bike tracks must hit the buffer stop and be derailed! Permanently closing and removing our railways is no vision for regional NSW! #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

05.01.2022 A fabulous selection of photographs of the ballast train working on the Great Northern Railway to Walcha Road on Saturday, courtesy of Luke Herbert. Once again, the working of a loaded ballast train across the Tamworth iron lattice bridge and viaduct system and the Woolbrook iron lattice bridge, show rail trail propaganda alleging the GNR is unsuitable for freight trains, to be nothing but lies! #NoNERT... #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains See more

05.01.2022 NSW Vintage train leaving Armidale heading towards Glen Innes. Photo courtesy of Steam Train Pictures.

04.01.2022 Many are of the opinion that the future of New England lies in an economic affiliation or collaboration with South East Queensland (SEQ). If so, we must preserve and reopen our railway and link in with the Inland Rail and any fast rail improvements into SEQ. #NoNERT #FixNotRipRails #BringBackTheTrains

01.01.2022 The construction of a new intermodal rail hub at Tamworth, utilising a portion of the non-operational Barraba branch line, is good news. Now we need an intermodal rail hub at Glen Innes, on the junction of the New England and Gwydir Highways! John Barilaro Adam Marshall MP Paul Toole MP... David Harris MP See more