Media release – Hobart Northern Suburbs Railway Action Group, 12 March 2025

DEATH FROM A THOUSAND CUTS

With the decision to turn the former Hobart railyard into a site for development, now planned to be a large stadium, unsurprisingly all of the railway track there was removed. At the site of the new Bridgewater Bridge, the same thing has happened. Now the new pipeline for the planned relocation of the Hobart Water Treatment Plant has also cut the railway at Cornelian Bay. The Hobart Northern Suburbs Railway is suffering a death from a thousand cuts.

HNSRAG President Toby Rowallan said, “We have also seen that pipework has been installed on the railway corridor just near the new Bridgewater Bridge, making it just that little bit more difficult to return rail to that section. We also know that investigations have begun in Moonah for the planned destruction of that section of line for the unwanted busway.

“We remind the State Government yet again, not only do they have no mandate for this destructive busway plan, but they have no money for it and it is the worst option out of all of those investigated in various studies. It will utterly fail to get commuters out of their cars, it will utterly fail to encourage higher density residential development and it will utterly fail to get enough people to and from their major stadium.”

“It is incredible that the State Government is still planning for the worst option, despite all of the above, and having blatantly lied about the cost of reactivating the railway. With Hobart’s traffic congestion amongst the worst in the country, along with the expected demand worsening with the planned stadium, it is becoming urgent that they reverse course and instead of planning to destroy the railway, reactivate it for the use it was built for,” finished Mr Rowallan.

Featured image above: pipework on the railway corridor at Granton near the new Bridgewater Bridge.