The petition is all part of a renewed push to see both Newbridge and Millthorpe stations re-opened for trains to stop there on request.

Stations such as Tarana and Stuart Town both have stop on request stations and Newbridge resident Dr Wayne Moore believes that the station there needs to be available for residents and visitors alike.

“You only need to give them 36 hours notice to have the train stop at places like Tarana and that’s all we’re asking for here but all we hear as an excuse has been that the footbridge was in need of repair,” he said.

Dr Moore said that the village was working hard to increase visitors and business to the village but was being hindered by the absence of decent public transport.

“The Lachlan Valley Railway is now operating out of Orange and they were unable to supply a train for the Winter Solstice Festival even though they were extremely keen to run a train from Orange to Blayney, drop people off at Newbridge then head to Bathurst and do the same thing on the way back,” he said. 

“The numbers at that festival would have been massive if there had been a train coming from Orange for the day.”

The bone of contention is the dilapidated state of the footbridge that allows access to the platform, but Dr Moore believes that with community support and grants from the NSW government, that the structure could be quickly repaired.

“It’s now with Mr Constance to get the work started on the footbridge,” he said.