Ifs, buts and concrete sleepers | opinion

Mr Peters detailed to around 80 people at a community meeting in Guyra his plans to bring an organic supplements manufacturer to Llangothlin, with the caveat that he needs rail access to make it a worthwhile venture.

Mr Peters told the crowd his own company would front between $8 and $10 million to do restoration works on the Main North rail line with a further $7 million in provision for maintenance over the next 10 years.

And with renewed vigour, rail restoration advocates have hitched their wagon to the proposal.

However, as glossy and glamorous as a private industry resurrection of the line sounds, it does little to advance any measures in seeing passenger or freight returned.

Mr Peters himself said Llangothlin was one of three sites he was considering for consolidating his businesses with other proposals for Tenterfield and another in South Australia.

So the development hinges on state government approval to privately revive the line as well as land purchases and DA approvals.

Mr Peters told the gathered audience he was amenable to heritage steam trains using the line, but it remains unclear how much of the track would be restored as an approval in Armidale is still unlikely to impede rail trail plans on the Glen Innes side of the line.

Should it go ahead the NSW government has made no mention of restoring passenger services - which are never likely to be connected via Queensland even should they return.

The Queensland government has all but frozen its inland rail development, citing $30 billion in cost blowouts, the NSW project is now slated to end at North Star - 40km short of the border.

The government has shown zero interest in restoring rail north of Armidale and Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison confirmed in a letter there was nothing in the budget for it in response to Trains North's advocacy.

And while councils seek to install a rail trail, rail groups have largely taken a combative stance to derail those plans, without providing a tangible path towards the revival of passenger or freight services.

For those in the middle it seems both would be welcome. As one guest eloquently said "everyone at this meeting would love to see both".

But until a DA is lodged, Mr Peters' plan remains a lot of talk about ifs, buts and concrete sleepers.