e preservation of the Casino-Murwillumbah rail corridor was resoundingly endorsed at the Regional Rail Forum in Byron Bay on Tuesday 28th June 2010. 

The forum  was called by lobby group Trains on our Tracks TOOT with Karin Kolbe President and 

Peter Westheimer Vice president chairing. Attendees also agreed that identifying a future coastal corridor from NSW to QLD was vital.

MP Don Page reiterated the State Nationals 2007 election pledge to get rail services running on the line if the coalition win office in the March 2011 state election.

Concern was raised that the new state LEP template (Land and Environment Plan) must clearly identify all transport  and rail corridors.  Instead such corridors are zoned the same as the adjacent land in the new LEP. This issue will be raised with the NSW Planning Minister by Don Page and others including the Local Government and Shires Association.

The group also resolved to get an updated engineering assessment on the condition of the line.

Australian Rail Track Corporation [ARTC] will be asked for details of its current maintenance schedule. 

The question of whether it would be sensible or feasible to start with services on a part of the line instead for trying for the whole 132 km from the beginning. Sections considereed were Byron to Lismore, Mulumbimby to Bangalow, Bilinudgel to Bangalow etc. Most participants acknowledged that the reopening of the line would be a boon not only for local commuters, students, workers but also very much for tourists.

The Byron Councillors Jan Barham and Basil Cameron agreed to have further discussion with Russell Mills from Northern Rivers Tourism

The forum acknowledged that progress on assessing the reopening of the line would assist the  progress of a North Coast Regional Transport Strategy as well.

Some attendees pointed out that future pricing on carbon needs to be considered in long-term strategies.

Attendees included Ballina MP Don Page; Mayor of Lismore and NOROC Cr Jenny Dowell,

Mayor Byron Shire Cr Jan Barham, Deputy Mayor Byron Shire Cr Basil Cameron, CEO Northern Rivers Tourism Richard Mills, CEO Regional Development Australia - Northern Rivers Katrina Luckie, CEO Northern Rivers Social Development Council Tony Davies, and Manager Byron Community & Cultural Centre Paul Spooner. There were also planners, a representative from North Byron Parklands and Maryanne Stuart from the Sydney office of the Rail Tram and Bus Union