THE State Government has committed a further $268,000 to help get the iconic Zig Zag Railway back on track.
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Bathurst MP Paul Toole announced the funding for continuing restoration works after visiting the Zig Zag this week to meet key volunteers Ben Lawrence and Cameron McGinty.
Mr Toole said he hoped that carriages will be back on the tracks next year as part of the commissioning process before the attraction can be reopened to the public again.
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The investment is part of the NSW Government's $16.5 million Crown Reserves Improvement Fund to upgrade reserves and facilities on Crown lands in regional communities doing it tough.
"Crown land covers 42 per cent of the state and is designed to be used by the people of NSW and support organisations that are the lifeblood of our communities," Mr Toole said.
Mr Toole said the latest funding follows previous government grants for the Zig Zag Railway.
They includes a $150,000 Heritage Grant in May for the preservation of stonework on the tunnels, viaducts, culverts and retaining walls; and $2.3 million announced by Premier Gladys Berejiklian when she visited Zig Zag in November 2018.
"I am sure the local community welcomes the ongoing investment by the NSW Government to reinvigorate the Zig Zag after it was damaged during bushfires in 2013," Mr Toole said.
"The railway has been a highly popular tourist attraction for over 40 years as a living example of NSW industrial heritage.
"The restoration work on sandstone structures including tunnels, viaducts, culverts and retaining walls will help prepare it for a return to operation and ensure the railway remains a site of great cultural significance."
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