Work will commence to design the first stage of the New England Rail Trail, between Glen Innes and Ben Lomond.
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Glen Innes Severn Council voted to progress the lease arrangements for the project, as well as begin the design process for the construction and ongoing operation of the rail trail.
Designed for cyclists and pedestrians, the trail will use the old railway line.
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The project is planned to eventually run between Armidale and Glen Innes, with Armidale Regional Council responsible for the section south of Ben Lomond.
As Glen Innes council voted to take on the lease, to construct the 35.5km from Glen Innes to Ben Lomond, mayor Rob Banham spoke positively about the move, saying he had read about very successful rail trails operating in regional communities.
Meanwhile, Cr Carol Sparks provided a firsthand account of visiting the Fernleigh rail trail near Newcastle.
She said looking at a map of rail trails, the New England region was the one area where there was a gap with none in the region.
The majority of councillors supported it, with only one - Tim Alt - voting against the motion.
While supporting it, Cr Andrew Parsons commented that a lot of people were passionate about restoring trains to the region and said he was concerned about the impact on ratepayers of council's decision.
The rail trail requires the removal of the train line, prompting passionate debate on both sides of the issue.
There has been some public support to see trains return, which has included candidates running in the 2023 state election in both Northern Tablelands and at Tenterfield on a platform of bringing back rail services.
Both independents in Northern Tablelands - Billy Wood and Natasha Ledger - said they wanted to see train services north of Armidale and into Queensland.
It's a move Cr Sparks described at the Glen Innes council meeting as unrealistic.
A business case completed by Regional Development Australia Northern Inland in 2020 predicts the rail trail would bring 4000 visitors per year to the region.
That figure came from infrastructure consultant Halliburton & Associates, who were engaged to provide an accurate estimate of the costs to construct and maintain the rail trail.
Armidale Regional Council is responsible for the southern stage of the project, south of Ben Lomond and has been seeking government funding.
$5.8 million has been approved for the section between Ben Lomond and Black Mountain, and mayor Sam Coupland said there were other funding applications in progress.
He said the council was waiting on feedback from NSW Public Works about how to get the "best bang for buck" before proceeding with works on the rail trail.
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