Monaro Rail Trail – Feasibility Study

Posted by on Jun 24, 2019

Transplan Pty Ltd, in conjunction with Mike Halliburton Associates, has been appointed by the Snowy Monaro Regional Council to prepare the feasibility study for the proposed Monaro Rail Trail. The study area is the disused railway corridor between Queanbeyan and Bombala in southern NSW. The corridor passes through a number of smaller villages including Michelago, Bredbo, Cooma and Nimmitabel.

The trail, if found feasible and if developed, will traverse 213km of some of the most scenic and attractive landscapes in Australia. The corridor includes as many as 90 bridges, ranging in size from a few metres long to the impressive 390m Umaralla Bridge over the Numeralla River (north of Chakola). The total length of bridges is approx. 1900 metres. The 161m long Colinton tunnel will also add special interest to trail users.

The Request for Quotation specified that the feasibility study address the following areas:

  • Overview of Overall Experience
  • Community Consultation on Concept
  • Rail Trail Alignment
  • Trail Experience Development
  • Trail Construction Planning Assessment
  • Calculation of Probable Cost of Trail construction and Maintenance
  • Assessment of Social and Economic Benefits and Return on Investment
  • Timeframe for Rail Trail Construction
  • Future Governance Model

Community consultation sessions are as follows:

  • Tuesday 23 July – 5.00pm – 7.00pm – Bombala (at Bombala Community Centre)
  • Wednesday 24 July – 5.00pm – 7.00pm – Nimmitabel (at Nimmitabel Community Centre)
  • Thursday 25 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm – Cooma (at Cooma Library)
  • Friday 26 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm – Bredbo (at Bredbo Community Hall)
  • Saturday 27 July 9.00am – 12.00 noon – Michelago (at Michelago General Store)

Above: Bredbo River bridge

 

Above: Typical scenery near Bukalong siding

 

Above: Colinton Tunnel (161m)