Funding sought for Queanbeyan–Tralee rail trail

A proposed rail trail between Queanbeyan and Tralee could provide an important new connection for people riding between the growing communities on Canberra’s doorstep.

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council lodged an application to the Australian Government’s Active Transport Fund on 28 September to build an 8.7-kilometre section of trail along the disused railway corridor.

The proposal is for a three-metre-wide, sealed shared path and would form an early section of the longer Monaro Rail Trail. Funding has yet to be secured.

Pedal Power is among the project’s supporters.

The proposed route would connect with existing paths serving Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Googong and Tralee, improving access towards employment areas including Hume and the ACT cycling network. Linking the trail with Queanbeyan’s existing off-road routes would also help create a 25-kilometre walking and cycling circuit around the city.

For local riders, the prospect of a continuous route away from major-road shoulders is particularly welcome. It could make riding to work a more realistic option and give people a new place to ride with their families or build their confidence.

The proposal also gives the wider Monaro Rail Trail a useful starting point close to a substantial population. The longer-term vision follows the railway south through Cooma and Nimmitabel to Bombala.

Safe access to the urban trail will be important. Connections from surrounding streets and paths need to let people reach it comfortably, with crossings and entrances designed for the range of people expected to use it.

Pedal Power supports funding this section and getting construction underway. It would put an existing transport corridor back to work and fill a worthwhile gap in the region’s walking and cycling network.