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March 2009 Getting On Track |
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Getting On Track
A Strategic Analysis of Regional and Cross Border Transport Links
Cr Basil Cameron, Byron Shire Council
Download (PDF, 2.7MB)
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Feb 2008: Federal Budget Submission |
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The new Federal government has called for submissions to their budget process. Here is the TOOT submission.
TOOT Budget Submission Feb 2008 (64k, PDF)
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Nov 2007: Connecting Communities, Linking Regions |
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A discussion paper from TOOT on the Brisbane-Sydney transport corridor, and how our rail corridor can help combat congestion in the short- and long-term.
Download Connecting Communities, Linking Regions (578k, PDF)
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Mar 2007: Uni survey supports Commuter Service & Qld link |
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Southern Cross University survey shows huge support for a commuter service by residents and tourists: 72%.
And a massive 91% would use the service if linked to the Gold Coast.
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Read more...
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July 2007: Cross-border Taskforce - delivered April 2009 |
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The NSW-Qld Cross Border Taskforce was announced in June 2006 in a press release.
In Feb 2007 a flawed discussion paper was issued. Consultation was minimal. There was supposed to be a report to cabinet in July 2007.
During the March 2007 State election, all questions on the rail were put aside until the Cross Border report was released.
During the Nov 2007 Federal election, sitting member Justine Elliot was able to ignore her 2004 promise to return the rail as the Cross Border report was still pending.
A Freedom of Information Request (FOI)
request was ignored on the basis that the report was a Cabinet-in-Confidence Document.
On 12 March 2009 the NSW Legislative Council voted to demand the report be tabled within 14 days.
Finally on 28 April 2009 the report was release, and almost
universally slammed by community and council groups across the region.
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Read more...
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May 2006: TOOT NOW! Plan |
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Our TOOT Now! Plan calls for
- 16-train per day local passenger rail service
- a link from Murwillumbah to the Gold Coast
- an integrated sustainable transport plan.
We reveal that it would cost less per
year to operate 16 daily trains ($1.6 mil pa) than what is currently
spent on the unpopular bus service, the basic maintenance of the unused
line, and the resultant additional road maintenance costs ($2.8 mil
pa).
Download a copy of the Plan (500kb pdf). You can also download a copy of the Needs Analysis (109kb) mentioned on page 5.
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 Existing line showing short gap to Qld. link up |
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March 2006: Draft Regional Strategy for the Far North Coast |
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The NSW Dept of Planning released their Draft Regional Strategy for the Far North Coast in March 2006.
For more information you can visit the official website here.
All the plan says about the train line is "protect the corridor" - this is not good enough.
The final document was released in January 2007 and contained no improvements when it comes to transport.
Read our submission (106kb, PDF).
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Nov 2004: NSW Parliament Inquiry |
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The NSW Legislative Council (the upper House) held an inqury into the decision to stop the XPT service in June 2004.
The report Closure of the Casino to Murwillumbah rail service (pdf, 200 pages) by the Legislative Council, General Purpose Standing Committee No. 4 was published Nov 2004.
One
of the recommendations was to 'immediately introduce a new regular
commuter rail service from Casion to Murwillumbah, which would connect
at Casino with the XPT service between Sydney and Brisbane.'
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Oct 2004: A future for trains in NSW |
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A Future for Regional Passenger Trains in New South Wales (pdf, 20 pages)
Published by the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW, by Assoc Prof Ian Gray, Centre for Rural Social Research, Charles Sturt University.
Prof Gray found a systematic downgrading of the NSW country rail network. He also found that after periods of poor punctuality, rail patronage dropped.
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Reports 
