THE village of Newbridge, between Blayney and Bathurst, has renewed its push for an investment in its train station.
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The new impetus is this weekend's heritage rail event being held at Bathurst, which will feature shuttles running from Bathurst to Newbridge and back again.
Newbridge locals are disappointed that the visitors won't be getting out at the village, but will just be turning around and going back the way they came.
Frustrated by the lack of access to the platform, the Newbridge Progress Association is again calling on the NSW Government to create access to the historic station.
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Association president Wayne Moore said access could be obtained by putting in a disabled ramp to the east of the platform, and for a fraction of the cost of restoring the footbridge.
"There's a real shift happening in the way that people are travelling and what they want to see," he said.
"The number of people coming to Newbridge has really increased recently, so imagine what we could do if the station was opened and it was part of a rail tourism loop."
Mr Moore said using rail to promote the shire's villages was an idea whose time had come.
"There's the Bathurst Rail Museum and Lachlan Valley Rail in Orange and they could both be running trips to Carcoar, Blayney, Millthorpe and here to Newbridge," he said.
"The one thing that Newbridge station has that they don't is a siding that the trains can stop at without blocking the main line."
Wendy Smith from the Olde Bridge Gallery in Newbridge said visitor numbers are increasing.
"Improving the station and opening it up would attract business to the village," she said.
"Tourism is all about experiences and Newbridge has the potential of becoming another big tourist destination in Blayney."
Locals are also frustrated that visitors can admire the work that has gone into improving private homes, while public infrastructure is falling into disrepair.
"This is demolition by neglect," Mr Moore said.
"The ball now is in the court of our local member and minister for regional transport and roads Paul Toole to open Newbridge station."