The prospect of the Blayney to Demondrille line reopening has once again being raised with a new study being announced that will examine the likely costs of re-establishing the line.
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To be completed by specialist rail consultants, The Lycopodium Group, the study is being commissioned by the four councils covered by the line, Blayney, Cowra, Hilltops and Weddin.
The impetus for the study has come from the $5 million that the State government has set aside for the reopening of the Demondrille to Maimaru section of the track, and Blayney mayor Scott Ferguson said that the study would give all the councils the information they need to get the project rolling.
“We’re going to use the information that the consultants give us to lobby the government to extend the rail to Cowra where there’s a quarry,” Cr Ferguson said, “That’s our first goal, to get it to Cowra, but most of the freight traffic is closer to Blayney, as is where most of the work on the line is required.”
Cr Ferguson said that the report was costing each council just over $7,000 each, but if lobbying is successful and the line was to reopen, the benefits would be immense.
“It would be one of the greatest infrastructure projects in our shire,” he said, “We have identified quite a lot of tonnage that would use it because it really is that link between the western line and the southern line which it was originally built for.”
“To have the junction at Blayney it could potentially revitalise the intermodal business there and all the centres along the line like Cowra and Young would also benefit.”
Apart from freight, the councils see great potential for tourism.
“The Lachlan Valley Rail group are landlocked with all their gear and it would be amazing for tourism if they could run that line,” Cr Ferguson said. “They’re incredibly keen to see the line to Blayney reopen.”