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Rail trails are shared-use paths recycled from abandoned railway corridors. Usually managed by local councils for the enjoyment of the general public, rail trails can be used for a range of purposes including walking, cycling and horse riding. There are over 100 rail trails in Australia. Celebrated and popular trails include the Murray to Mountains in Victoria and the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail – but there are many more. Resources, maps, links and tips can be found at the Rail Trails Australia website.

Unfortunately, legislation has limited the delivery of trails in NSW.  We are missing out on tourism, mobility and recreation opportunities while other states have reaped the rewards. 

There is great news! Following a campaign by Bicycle NSW and fellow active transport advocates, the NSW Legislative Assembly debated, amended and passed the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022.  The Bill was then approved by the Legislative Council on 12th August 2022. This amendment removes the need for each rail trail proposal to have a separate act of parliament and enables the Minister for Regional Transport to allow derelict tracks to be converted into a rail trail for ‘recreation, tourism or related purposes’.  

The Northern Rivers Rail Trail opened in March 2023 and traverses 24km of stunning countryside.  The 21km Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trial opened in 2020 and has attracted over 50,000 riders to a sleepy corner of the Snowy Mountains. We look forward to many more projects getting underway soon!

 

An artist’s impression of the restored bridge.
The Pippita Rail Trail will transform a forgotten rail corridor into a leafy pathway linking Lidcombe town centre with the Read more
Byron Shire fills rail trail’s missing link
A new era dawns as Byron Bay joins the Northern Rivers Rail Trail In a landmark decision, Byron Shire Council Read more
A brand new walking and cycling path for Parramatta
Bicycle NSW has celebrated the opening of the new active transport link (ATL) shared user path alongside the Parramatta Light Read more
Rail trails encourage independent kids
And resilient communities We have written about how rail trails support regional communities. They do so by connecting people and Read more
Rural/farm road south west of Dalgety/Snowy River continued (Photo: courtesy Shoalhaven BUG)
Unforgiving climbs and iconic Australian pastoral vistas Bicycle User Groups (BUGs) are local groups of bike riders who get together Read more
Bewildered: Battling the Bathurst Bullet Blues
Regions urge TrainLink to go multimodal Boxing bikes is just bad for the bush! You’ve saved up and bought an Read more
Riders enjoy the Gears + Beers ride in the picturesque countryside around Wagga.
Despite the challenges of distance, heat and speeding traffic, regional NSW has some spectacular opportunities for bike riding. Riders enjoy Read more
Bike Leichhardt Tourers. Photo Courtesy: Mike MacDonald
One of Australia’s most popular and familiar regional rail trails is only 250km northeast of Melbourne. The entire Murray to Read more
The successful passage of the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Bill 2022 in the NSW Lower House has opened the Read more
Rail Trails Bill Passed
Media Release Bicycle NSW is extremely grateful to all involved in the passing of the Transport Administration Amendment (Rail Trails) Read more
Rail Trails in NSW Need Help
Did you know that NSW has approximately 2,000km of abandoned railway lines yet only 146 km of rail trails? Recently Read more
Goulburn Crookwell Rail Trail
In an extraordinary meeting Upper Lachlan Council has withdrawn its support for the Goulburn to Crookwell rail trail. ‘We’re confused Read more