A Riverina politician wants the NSW Labor government to reconsider reopening the Tocumwal to Narrandera freight railway line.
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Murray MP Helen Dalton says circumstances have changed since the previous Coalition government oversaw a feasibility study into restoring trains to the line which last carried a freight service in 1985.
The analysis published in 2019 found any economic benefits would be outweighed by reconstruction costs and ongoing expenditure.
It pointed to the need to replace most sleepers, upgrade more than 100 level crossings and renew some timber bridges.
"We need to update that feasibility study and put in different figures," Mrs Dalton said.
"That was done in a drought and lots of things have changed in five years with floods and roads in poor condition.
"The state government and federal government are lagging behind private enterprise (on rail freight) and they ask us as primary producers to look at efficiencies and this is one.
"It will save the roads and potentially save some people and we've got a workforce shortage (of truck drivers) so it makes sense to look at rail as a priority."
Mrs Dalton said she had raised the issue with Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison during a meeting at Hay earlier this month and been rebuffed.
"She says no at the moment, but I don't take that as an answer," Mrs Dalton said.
The Border Mail asked Ms Aitchison if she would re-examine opening the rail line.
"A feasibility study and business case for the reactivation of the 180-kilometre non-operational Narrandera to Tocumwal railway line was completed in August 2018," a spokeswoman said in response.
"The study found that it was not economically viable to reinstate the line."
The minister's representative pointed to integrated regional plans being developed by Transport for NSW and road spending as priorities.
"A new regional emergency road repair fund is also delivering $390 million directly to regional and rural councils for urgent road and pothole repairs, expanding the total funding for road repairs to $670 million," she said.
"The new fund supports councils in managing their road assets and prioritising work based on the needs of their communities, particularly those damaged by natural disasters."
Meanwhile, Mrs Dalton will spend several days in South Australia from Friday, January 26, touring the Murray River and lower lakes as part of a fact-finding mission.
It comes in the context of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and the federal government's drive for more environmental water, which has raised concerns for Riverina irrigation communities.
"We've been sold a pup and we need to expose exactly what's going on down there as far as the lower lakes being an estuarine system," Mrs Dalton said.
The Independent MP also plans to introduce a fresh water transfer bill to Parliament to put conditions on NSW handing allocations to the Commonwealth, after her previous legislative bid lapsed late last year.
