1909
VOL. 116
NO. 27
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2024
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PRICE $1.70 INC GST
Future sports plan
Sparkling success
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Light at the end of rail trail tunnel?
BY RACHEL WILLIAMS
A GRAND opening in February 2026 has been earmarked for the Scottsdale to Lilydale section of the North East Rail Trail, which the Dorset Council plans to pursue despite a significant increase in construction costs and risks with funding. And, those opposed to the development are vowing to continue the fight against it, 10 years since the concept was first mooted. Commissioner Andrew Wardlaw agreed to General Manager John Marik’s recommendation at Monday’s Council meeting, to continue planning for the controversial project, which has risen in costs to $4.28m. A new round of public consultation will take place on a revised business case over the next 28 days. The new modelling was requested by
Commissioner Wardlaw when he was appointed, following the suspension of elected councillors by the Minister for Local Government last August. Initially, the project was set to cost $2.94m for a trail from Scottsdale to Launceston but a compromise was later made for the Lilydale to Launceston section to be retained for heritage rail enthusiasts. It will now cost $4.28 million for an unsealed trail from Scottsdale to Lilydale, with an extra $1.6m in maintenances over a decade, the business case states. Council was given a Federal Government grant of $1.47 million in 2015 for the project and that needs to be spent before March 1, 2026. But Council needs to find an extra $2.8m to fund a budgeted financial shortfall if the project is to proceed. “I think it is a robust business case ... but there are a few barriers including how we T STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 4.
TIMELINE TO RIDE TIME July – Aug 2024
Public consultation on new business case
June – Oct 2025
Landholders and stakeholder consultation
July – Dec 2024
July 2024 – Jan 2025
Obtain additional funding
Request to minister to remove the existing rail infrastructure
Feb – Mar 2025
Finalise design
Mar – Jun 2025
May – June 2025
May – Dec 2025
Feb 2026
Tenders and contracts
Field works including surveying and vegetation removal
Construction including removal of rail infrastructure, bridge upgrades and trail heads
Grand Opening
• The iconic tunnel at Tunnel is part of the proposed new Rail Trail from Scottsdale to Lilydale, which has been the subject of a new business case, released by the council for a 28-day public submission process.
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