New England Rail Trail

New England Rail Trail — Key Documents Now on Public Exhibition

Armidale Regional Council is inviting community feedback on two separate sets of draft documents relating to the proposed New England Rail Trail (NERT) — Armidale to Ben Lomond section.

These documents were endorsed for public exhibition by Council at its Ordinary Meeting held on 23 September 2026 (Items 10.5 and 10.7).

1. Review of Environmental Factors and Masterplan

The Draft New England Rail Trail Masterplan and the Review of Environmental Factors (REF), together with supporting technical studies, are on public exhibition for a period of not less than 28 days.

• The Draft Masterplan outlines the vision, proposed facilities, trail alignment and visitor experience opportunities for the rail trail between Armidale and Ben Lomond.
• The REF assesses the likely environmental impacts of the project under Part 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and identifies proposed mitigation measures. The REF concludes that, subject to the recommended mitigation measures, the proposal is not expected to have a significant impact on the environment.
• Supporting technical studies available for review include the Biosecurity Assessment, Heritage Impact Statement, Preliminary Site Investigation and Biodiversity Report.

This exhibition builds on the community consultation already undertaken in May and June 2026, which informed the preparation of both documents.

2. Governance Procedures — NERT Operational Committee Terms of Reference

The Draft Terms of Reference for the NERT Operational Committee are on separate public exhibition for a period of 28 days.

• The Terms of Reference propose a committee under section 355 of the Local Government Act 1993 to provide community and stakeholder advice to Council on the future operation, management and maintenance of the rail trail once construction is complete.
• The Committee would be advisory only. It would have no role in construction matters and no authority to commit Council funds. Council remains the operational entity and retains all statutory, financial and decision-making responsibility.
• This exhibition is limited to the proposed governance arrangements only. It does not reopen consultation on the trail alignment, the REF, the Masterplan, or construction and project delivery approvals — those matters were addressed through the separate exhibition above.

Have Your Say

We encourage all interested community members, landowners, stakeholders and trail users to review the documents relevant to their area of interest and provide feedback.

To make a submission:

• Complete the submission form below, indicating which exhibition your submission relates to (REF/Masterplan, or Governance Procedures/Terms of Reference).
• Or email us at council@armidale.nsw.gov.au

Submissions must be received by Tuesday 27 October 2026.

Please be aware that if you make a submission, other people may have access to your comments. This may be as a result of a report to a Council meeting or as part of an application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.

Background and important context

The New England Rail Trail is a long‑standing proposal to repurpose sections of the disused Great Northern Rail Line into a shared recreational walking and cycling trail. First conceived nearly two decades ago, the project seeks to support regional tourism, protect rail heritage, and create new opportunities for active transport and outdoor recreation.

The full proposed rail trail would extend approximately 103 kilometres between Armidale and Glen Innes. Armidale Regional Council is responsible for the 67‑kilometre section between Armidale and Ben Lomond, which is the focus of this engagement and investigation work.

The corridor remains in public ownership and offers a unique opportunity to create a safe, off‑road recreational route passing through high‑country landscapes, rural communities and historic townships, including significant rail heritage sites. Similar rail trails across Australia have demonstrated long‑term tourism, economic and community benefits.

Previous consultation

Proposed New England Rail Trail consultation results

Thank you to everyone who took part in the proposed New England Rail Trail consultation.

All formal submissions have now been counted and categorised as:

✅ Supportive
✅ Unsupportive

They have also been grouped by location:

📍 Within the Local Government Area (LGA)
📍 Outside the LGA
📍 Address Unknown

To ensure transparency, all redacted formal submissions received via email, mail and over the counter are now available for public review in the Submissions and Feedback folder on this page.

In addition, community feedback gathered through:

🗣️ Pop-up consultation sessions
📞 Phone conversations
💬 The forum discussions on the Your Say Proposed New England Rail Trail page during the consultation period is also available to view.

NOTE:

Due to the large volume of responses and data processed, reported results are subject to a variance of up to ±5% to account for factors such as human error, data entry inconsistencies, differing interpretations of responses, and other minor processing variances. This allowance does not materially affect the overall findings or trends presented in the results.