Northern Rivers Rail Trail, Murwillimbah to Crabbes Creek

Abstract

The Northern Rivers Rail Trail (NRRT) is a planned 132 kilometre long walking/running and cycling trail that is proposed to connect Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Lismore and Casino. The project is set to be delivered in 4 stages and is expected to draw thousands of visitors each year to explore the natural beauty of the Northern Rivers. The trail utilises the old North Coast rail corridor (Casino - Murwillumbah Line) which was originally constructed in 1894 and subsequently decommissioned in 2004. In 2013, a NSW Department of Transport commissioned feasibility study concluded that $952 million would be required to reopen the Casino-Murwillumbah line (over $7 million/km for the 132km). The corridor sat idle for many years, with the construction of the rail trail envisaged by a local non-for-profit community group established in 2013 with a vision to convert the existing dilapidated infrastructure into a modern cycle and walking trail. The project planning for Tweed Shire Council took several years with initial bridge inspections completed by Instrada in 2017 and subsequent environmental, heritage and approvals being finalised for a tender release in 2021. The community has been divided on the use of the rail corridor with many feeling that a passenger train line similar to that of Gympie’s Mary Valley Rattler, Kuranda Scenic Rail or the Puffing Billy Railway in Victoria would be a more appropriate option. This is made even more complicated by the fact that the Byron Bay Railroad Company (a not for profit organisation formed in 2014) launched a passenger service on a 3km section of the Casino-Murwillumbah line in 2017. A 24 kilometre section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail has recently been completed, connecting Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek, through the smaller villages of Stokers Siding, Burringbar and Mooball. This section features 22 railway bridges, 2 railway tunnels (with resident glow worms), a variety of path surfaces (gravel, concrete and asphalt) and a homage to six historical station platforms dotted along the route. Construction of this $14.9 million Tweed section of the NRRT was jointly funded by the NSW and Australian governments. Works were managed by Tweed Shire Council and NSW Public Works , with Hazell Bros appointed as the Principal Contractor and Professional Bridge Services/Instrada sub-contracted to design and construct the existing timber bridge refurbishments. Three of the bridges in this section are heritage listed and are considered to be a rare grouping of late nineteenth century wrought iron web plate girder bridges with the remaining bridges of high heritage value. Seven bridges in total were rebuilt using standard hardwood timber bridge substructure techniques with the superstructure consisting of timber girders and a variety of deck material, including Niudeck™ engineered ply panels, fibre reinforced deck panels and Deckwood™ deck planks. The bridge designs were closely monitored and reviewed by several parties including heritage, urban designers and structural consultants. The remaining bridges were managed through full replacement using modular ‘drop-in’ bridges onto existing abutments or the installation of smaller by-pass bridges/culverts.