The Reactivation of the Great Northern Railway Project Page

03/07/2026

A summary of the Audit Office of NSW audit into Armidale Regional Council's financial management (scroll down as there are two councils).
It seems Armidale Regional Council are not great at accurate long-term modelling for projects, nor modelling for future costs.
This is the same council that is spending $1.2 million on rail trail planning - by far the most expensive rail trail planning project seen here in Australia.

03/07/2026 - 19:08 – OverviewThis audit assessed whether Port Stephens Council and Armidale Regional Council are developing and monitoring their Long-Term Financial Plans (LTFP) to ensure their strategic goals can be achieved sustainably.

30/06/2026

So where is the money coming from Sam? The State and Federal Governments have made it clear there is no funding for rail trails.
There is already commitment for $15 million in private equity to reopen the railway from Armidale to Llangothlin with significant employment opportunities in Guyra.
For the ratepayers in Armidale - brace yourselves for infrastructure funds to be shifted from essential works to the rail trail.

15/05/2026

This is what the rail trail supporters do not want you to see - the current and projected costs per user on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
Remember that 90% of users do not spend any money locally.
For Armidale, there is no state or federal funding for the rail trail, so this cost will be carried by rate payers.
Also remember the cost of the Armidale Rail Trail is significantly higher, and the number of users will be significantly lower. On that basis, the potential cost to rate payers per user could be as high as $50.

13/05/2026

If you have not provided your feedback on the return of trains, we encourage you to do so. There is some great work being done by a number of very proactive organisations to bring back trains.

11/05/2026

Things Armidale Regional Council don’t want you to know.
The rail trail is a promise from certain councillors to some of the people that funded their election campaign. Hence the lack of care about using ratepayer funds despite the recent significant rate rises.
All levels of government have made it clear they are not interested in funding rail trails in the foreseeable future meaning any planned rail trail will be ratepayer funded.
The cost to reopen the railway north of Armidale is not $2 billion. This figure is based on a study that was designed to justify not reopening the line and gave figures based on a complete greenfield site and rebuilding a line equivalent to that of a coal network.
The cost of a rail trail north of Durmaresq will be $5 million plus in some areas due to the height of the formations which will require widening and significant rail works and concreting to make them safe.
One is 151 million deaths worldwide each year are caused by ducks.

07/05/2026

The Great Northern Route was considered in the original plan. It's time to revisit.
https://www.railexpress.com.au/inland-rail-funding-axed-after-cost-estimate-exceeds-45-billion/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRpAHJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe9FcP7JiOys4NE__dOzm6imsnIVnV0XN_iQfZyVvlEqjvl9dnRCCMoxVtyFI_aem_LyUHCY7X3cQ5SfNtcqIVUQ

The Federal Government has axed plans for Inland Rail to extend to Brisbane after an independent assessment found the cost estimate now exceeds $45 billion.

06/05/2026

Wondering why Mr Copeland keeps telling lies.
The $2 billion cost to reopen the line between Armidale and Wallangarra is based on a study that used green field site modelling. The figures are based on a rail standard required for large coal trains and was based on a desk top study. Meanwhile Northern Regional Railway Company Pty Limited undertook an on the ground study with the assistance from members of New England Railway Incorporated. Thousands of photos and hundreds of pages of track inspection notes were then analysed by a Quantity Surveyor with assistance from a railway engineer to develop a costing to reopen the line. The Quantity Survey was then tested using quotations from over 20 railway infrastructure supply and maintenance companies. The first section from Armidale to Llongothlin (a distance of 51kms) is costed at $32 million for train running at up to 50km/h and $52 to return to a standard where trains can run at 115 km/h plus.
Mr Copeland also forgets to tell people that with the building and maintenance costs, the Northern Rivers Rail trail costs around $32 per user, with user numbers declining on average 10% per year.

05/05/2026

When you are trying to build a monument to yourself but then discover the railway reopening to Guyra is well advanced, so you have to start peddling really hard.
When will Armidale Regional Council tell us the real cost of building and maintaining the rail trail? And why is Armidale Regional Council so determined to exclude railway supporters from their feedback sessions?
With all the online responses Sam is posting to anything negative about his rail trail, we have to wonder when he has time to be a mayor.

08/04/2026

We don't really want to be political because all we really want is our railway, however it is fun to watch the rail trail supporters clutching at straws.

The history of low passenger numbers and minor bulk freight north of Armidale to the border has not changed. The growing efficiency of multi trailer road transport is outcompeting rail freight on regional and many interstate rail lines.

03/03/2026

Things are progressing.

Seeking letters of support for the Great Northern Railway.
Many of our supporters would be aware that we (NERI) have been working with Northern Regional Railway Company Pty to undertake a range of processes to reopen the Great Northern Line north of Armidale. We are also grateful for the support provided by Trains North as we assemble the rest of our application.
We recently completed the application for Bluff Rock to Jennings so we can run trikes, rail bikes and rail motors. That application is now undergoing assessment with the powers that be, and we are expecting a good outcome.
We have also looked at applying to reopen the section from Armidale to Llangothlin (which includes Guyra) and had undertaken extensive design and engineering studies. We had started work on an application, however potential funding was going to be an issue. That all changed recently with the acquisition of a well-known location in Guyra. Whilst we aren’t out to steal anyone’s thunder, the acquisition will require access to container transport, with their preferred option being trains to the port of Newcastle. This means that initially there will be three separate companies wanting access to the train, with other local businesses also now expressing interest.
In even better news, this also means that if our application is successful, there will be access to private equity which will assist with reopening the line.
We are aware that Armidale Regional Council are still pushing ahead with their rail trail, despite knowing that there is now a significant case for the return of rail, which also won’t mean ratepayers have to provide funding of over $1 million per year to maintain the rail trail.
Basically, everything that council is doing, we have already done.
We do however need the help of everyone that lives along the Great Northern Railway, especially those that live in the Armidale, Guyra, Llangothlin area. We are urgently seeking letters and emails of support to reopen the railway. If you live in proximity to the Great Northern please email your support to [email protected]
Please note that NERI is not using any form of grants or donations that have been given for restoration efforts to fund the reopening of the Great Northern. We will however provide more details on how people that want to see the line reopen can help.