Heritage rail supporters argued for the “big picture” of Tasmanian tourism in Launceston on Tuesday, during the first public hearing over the contentious North-East Railway Corridor.
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A Legislative Council tasked with examining the feasibility of a proposed heritage passenger rail service verses a proposed bike trail, heard from industry stakeholders as well as members of the Launceston and North-East Railway group.
Bridestowe Estate owner Robert Ravens said while he had no vested interest in either proposal, he could see no case for the economic benefits of a cycleway.
“The population that is likely to use the trail if it is for bikes, is unknown to Bridestowe Estate,” he said.
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“We do not know of any significant group of visitors to Northern Tasmania with a singular interest in using a bike trail.
“What we do know is of our 85,000 visitors, a significant percentage have expressed an interest in experiencing heritage rail.”
Disagreements for the use of the line have been ongoing for the past two years, with the state government offering a compromise for the heritage rail to run from Turners Marsh through to Lilydale, and the cycleway to run from Scottsdale to Lilydale Falls.
Dorset councillor and Launceston and North-East Railway’s Wendy McLennan said acting on the offer would turn the experience into a “non-event”, adding she would like to see the state government take more responsibility for the line.
“I think there needs to be more responsibility taken by the government, for its assets,” she said.
“I think this is the bigger picture. It is not just the North-East line, it is the bigger picture of Tasmania and tourism heritage rail around Tasmania.
“I think this is something that could just be such an icon for this state.”
However Cycling Tasmania’s chief executive Collin Burns said transforming the line into a cycleway would help attract a new demographic of cyclists to the state, labelling the railway as “redundant”.
The hearing will continue at Scottsdale’s Mechanics Hall on Wednesday.
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