Manilla viaduct: Tamworth council will not take ownership of Transport for NSW's asset

The heritage asset will be demolished by Transport for NSW except for three spans, unless council takes ownership of the viaduct, is accredited to do repairs and pays for the ongoing maintenance.

While council has not taken a formal position on the project, expecting local government to cover costs upwards of $5 million is unrealistic Cr Murray said.

“Rail assets are the responsibility of the state, the heritage aspects of this particular structure I think are of significance in a state sense more than local government,” he said.

“I think it’s a tough ask on the whole community, there’s so much heavy lifting that gets shifted to council because there’s no other organisation there.

“There’s a fundamental issue with that line of thinking and I think it’s a lack of responsibility from the state government to accept their responsibility to maintain their assets.”

Council already pays for the ongoing care of well over $2 billion worth of assets in the region.

Transport for NSW and John Holland Rail met with stakeholders in the community on Monday to discuss options for the future of the viaduct.

A group of locals have actively campaigned to save the Manilla viaduct for some time.

Proponents for the viaduct believe they were misled by Transport for NSW into believing an option to repair the structure was still open.

It will cost more than $4 million to retain just three spans and demolish enough to address the key safety risk area over Namoi and River Streets and the showground.

It’s hard to believe the state government would not have the ability to care for their own assets Cr Murray said.

“I think it’s a difficult ask for a state government who are quite strong financially to expect or even accept that local government should consider taking on an asset like this," he said.

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No work will be undertaken on the viaduct for the next 12 months, and Transport for NSW has said it is still open to proposals for the community provided they are financially viable.

“The Barraba Branch Line is currently non-operational and if trains were to operate on this line again, a new bridge would need to be built,” a spokesman said.

”The Manila Viaduct has reached the end of its lifespan and would start to pose a significant safety risk to the community without expensive ongoing maintenance.

“Given that it is no longer required to operate services, Transport for NSW has offered to retain a small section of the viaduct in recognition of the role of the Tamworth to Barraba rail line in the development of Manilla.”

That decision includes options for the ongoing management of the retained spans by Transport for NSW, or if council is interested for that section to be licensed to council for the community to manage into the future.

It’s not possible to maintain the entire structure without support from other organisations due to budget constraints, a spokesman said.

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