The state government has backtracked on its promise of $50 million for rail trail pilot schemes, instead committing just $5m.

The announcement came out of the blue and without sufficient explanation, deputy mayor and Goulburn to Crookwell Rail Trail Inc chairman Bob Kirk said.

Regional development minister John Barilaro announced in June that the remaining $45m in the allocation would instead go to developing regional airports.

“With a stroke of a pen they’ve allocated $45m to airports,” Cr Kirk said.

“They’ve argued that’s a better driver of regional tourism without too much thought. I think it’s politically expedient.”

The deputy mayor said he didn’t believe the state government was ever clear on where the pilot scheme was headed.

While Northern Rivers was initially mooted as a pilot project with the 21km Rosewood to Tumbarumba rail trail, now only the latter has received $5m in funding.

A spokesman for Mr Barilaro said this was because the Rosewood proposal was the best proposal “demonstrating the greatest community consultation and which had the backing of all stakeholders.”

He also defended the diversion of funds to airports, saying it offered greater opportunity for regional tourism and investment.

Originally, the $110m regional infrastructure fund had $50m allocated for airports, $50m for rail trails and $10m for regional seaports.

Cr Kirk described this as a “significant shift” with no explanation provided nor any surety on future funding for rail trails in NSW.

“The announcement also identified that further work on developing a Statewide rail trail strategy is to be undertaken, and that the NSW Department of Industry proposes to be in touch with GCRT in that regard,” he said.

He described this as “public service” speak.

“There is no pot of money now and in the recent budget there was no mention of funds to continue with what they promised, which is staggering,” he said.

“Community groups went to the expense of putting the proposal together and devoted in countless hours of volunteer time. All of that has been seemingly dismissed. I’m really disappointed.”

Cr Kirk has written to Mr Barilaro seeking an explanation but has not received a response. He sent a copy to Goulburn MP Pru Goward who was following up on his behalf.

He believed there was still hope for the Goulburn to Crookwell trail but wasn’t sure where funding would be sourced. Other state and federal funding was a possibility.

“Despite believing that the rail trail (funding) was done and dusted, it’s delayed and we’ll be pressing ours so they won’t be able to say no,” Cr Kirk said.

“The potential for this community is enormous and unless someone follows it up, it will go nowhere.”

Chairman of Rail Trails for NSW Inc John Moore is also seeking answers.

He believed with Northern Rivers omitted, Goulburn to Crookwell could have been added to the pilot scheme.

“With 16 different applications for funding throughout the State, I’m disappointed the focus suddenly shifted to airports from rail trails,” he said.

Mr Moore said there was some justification in completing a pilot given the complex biosecurity issues and required legislation to close the rail lines.

But he pointed out that 100 rail trails already existing across Australia had overcome challenges that affected constituencies.

Meantime, Cr Kirk and committee members plan to meet with Crookwell seed potato growers in coming weeks.

Producers such as Kim Weir and Crookwell Potato Association president Matthew Gay have raised concersn about the rail trail’s impact on biosecurity and the industry’s disease free status.

“(It) could potentially ruin livelihoods as well as have a huge impact on Crookwell generally,” Mr Gay told the Crookwell Gazette.

Cr Kirk said this risk was not identified in the trail’s feasibility study.

“We wrote to everyone but nobody brought this up,” he said.

“Now it has been, we’ve done considerable research (with the Department of Primary Industries and the CSIRO) and we’ll take it all to the meeting with Mr Weir.

“We take every complaint seriously.”