I am proud once again to report to Members on the activities of the Wagga Rail Trail Committee for 2019.

The new levee cycleway (and start of the Wagga Rail Trail) is open for use.

In the past twelve months, we have continued to work toward making the Wagga Rail Trail a reality. Although the momentum and media attention created during our Crowd Funding and Implementation Plan campaigns has slowed, our work behind the scenes has been equally important and we continue to make progress toward our ultimate goal of trail implementation.

Our most notable progress has been on three fronts:

Utilisation of the Rail Corridor as the safest alignment for the active travel plan to Forest. Hill.
Engagement with our State MP, Dr Joe McGirr.
Development of the Wagga Rail Trail as one end of a longer Wagga to Tumbarumba Rail Trail.

I will elaborate on each of these issues separately.

Utilisation of the Rail Corridor

During June and July 2019, we ran a strong and vocal campaign focusing on the safety of Council’s Active Travel route to Forest Hill.

Specifically, we argued that the Vincent Rd/Kyeamba Avenue alignment was not the safest possible route and we advocated for Council to request access to the rail corridor as the best alternative.

Our strategy was driven largely by an investment in a social media campaign and supported by local media articles, a presentation to Council and negotiations with our State Member of Parliament.

At the conclusion of the month-long campaign, we presented a petition of 2220 signatures of local people declaring their support for the utilisation of the rail corridor as the safest Active Travel path from the CBD to Forest Hill.

This was presented to Councillors, Member for Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr and the NSW Government.

Ultimately, WWCC voted on a final trail alignment that was not our preferred route, however, we were successful in gaining Council’s endorsement to continue to seek access to this section of rail corridor for an additional Forest Hill link in the future.

Importantly, Council has also voted to seek access to a section of the rail corridor between Bakers Lane and Forest Hill, which will set a precedent for the future and strengthen the case for a full corridor alignment in the future.

Engagement with our State MP

Member for Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr has had a stated position on rail trails that he took to the last NSW election. His position is similar to that of the NSW Government, in that he supports their development in principle but will wait until the evaluation of pilot rail trails in NSW has been completed before endorsing the development of any trails locally.

During the last twelve months, we have had several meetings with Dr Joe McGirr in an attempt to shift his position on this and gain his support for the Wagga Rail Trail.

Our discussions have been forthright and robust and although he is reluctant to alter his stated position (communities don’t like politicians that change their mind) he now fully understands our proposal and the objections, including the false assertion that biosecurity risks are insurmountable.

He has also interpreted the development of “pilot trails” as a tactic by the NSW Government to delay rail trail development at the behest of the Nationals and NSW Farmers.

In summary, we have developed a straightforward and open relationship with Dr McGirr, he is considerably more supportive of our proposal and has made recent representations on our behalf to the NSW Government.

Development of the Wagga to Tumbarumba Rail Trail

Most of you will know that the concept of the Wagga Rail Trail grew out of an earlier proposal to develop a longer trail on the same rail corridor, between Wagga and Tumbarumba.

Although the development of this longer trail has not been an objective of this Committee, the recent devastating bushfires in the Riverina Highlands has opened the possibility of trail development to become part of the NSW Government response for affected communities.

The game has changed. Quite simply, advocating for the development of a longer trail to boost the fire affected townships of Tumbarumba, Rosewood, Humula and Tarcutta is currently the best chance for the development of the Wagga Rail Trail.

In recent months, we have been working with an alliance of other trail proponents in the region to push the Government to consider new rail trails in the region as part of their package of support measures. The proposal has the support of the NSW Shadow Minister for Active Transport and is being considered by Minister Barilaro.

The opening of the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail next month is a further opportunity for the alliance to push for further trail development with the host of NSW politicians that will be present.

Looking ahead

The first stage of our trail from the Visitor Information Centre to Edward St has been realised with the recent opening of the levee bank cycleway, constructed as part of Council’s Active Travel Plan.

Although only short in length, the high-quality surface means that usage levels are high and importantly, it is accessible by everyone.

To enhance the river corridor alongside the new cycleway, our Committee has entered into a partnership project with Wagga Wagga Urban Landcare and Wagga Wagga City Council. Together, we will undertake to revegetate with native plants, the levee bank and river floodplain area between the Railway viaduct and Riverina Water. The project will be completed over two planting seasons, 2020 and 2021, with our members invited to assist in a series of community planting days.

The project will improve habitat value and visual amenity, and reduce weeds, levee bank erosion and maintenance costs for Council. Importantly, it will also give our members an opportunity to do something positive for the Wagga Rail Trail.

Chairperson's Report 2019/20