Announcements

A huge thank you to Snowy Monaro Regional Council and the Bocco Rock Community Enhancement Fund for funding the purchase of a tractor for CMR. We were lucky enough to be successful with our application for the 2024 Bocco Rock Community Enhancement Fund grant. Last week our tractor arrived in Cooma and is ready to hit the ground running. The addition of the tractor to our workforce will make a huge difference for our volunteers. Many of the manual tasks that our volunteers are currently performing by hand can now be accomplished in a fraction of the time. It [...]

Happy Birthday to one of the stalwarts of CMR, our beautiful heritage rail motor, CPH No. 6, who turns 100 years old today. CPH rail motors were a regular site across the NSW rail network, including Cooma and it's great to see these units still operating today, 100 years after they were built! No. 6 is currently resting in the loco shed at Cooma Railway Station with the rest of our rail motor fleet, eagerly awaiting it's return to the rails, while our volunteers complete necessary repairs to our track.

This weekend was a very exciting weekend for the future of railway tourism in the Monaro with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Cooma Monaro Railway and the Friends of Bombala Railway, establishing a join venture partnership to develop the Railway Pedal Cart experience in Bombala and facilitate the return of tourist trains to the region. The MoU provides a framework for our groups to formally collaborate on the establishment of both the Pedal Cart experience and tourist trains through the sharing of knowledge, expertise and resources. It also establishes a mechanism for our groups to [...]

On Thursday this week, Snowy Monaro Regional Council voted on a resolution to accept an invitation from Kristy McBain, Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, to apply for a $1M grant to commence the construction of a Rail Trail for a length of 3.5km from Bombala. Representatives from both Cooma Monaro Railway and the Friends of Bombala Railway travelled to Bombala to speak to Councillors during the Public Forum and express our support for the shared use of the railway corridor and express the benefits that could be achieved for the town by supporting all three projects. After amendments were made [...]

Cooma Monaro Railway are very proud to announce the establishment of our CMR Cadets youth program. The CMR Cadet program aims to inspire the next generation of heritage enthusiasts by connecting the youth of the Monaro region with like minded peers, and provide opportunities for them to learn and develop real-world skills through mentoring with industry experts and participation in hands-on projects. Cadets are mentored by industry experts across a wide variety of skills from project management through to a variety of trade skills. Our cadets also have the opportunity to work on their very own restoration projects, where [...]

After almost a decade, Cooma Monaro Railway is excited to announce that tourist trains will be returning to the rails of the Monaro. Last week, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) notified us that our application to be accredited as a Rail Infrastructure Manager (RIM) and a Rolling Stock Operator (RSO) has been approved. This is a huge milestone for CMR and signals the commencement of an exciting chapter for heritage railway in the Monaro. While our first priority is being able to move our rolling stock within the yard at Cooma Railway Station, the issuing [...]

We are delighted to announce that the former Member for Monaro, Nichole Overall for Monaro has accepted our invitation to become the Patron of Cooma Monaro Railway. Nichole has been a great supporter of our organisation and we are all very excited to have her on board. With her background as an historian and her passion for the rich heritage of our region, Nichole was the perfect fit for our organisation, and we're honoured that she accepted our invitation. Her experience and guidance will be a huge asset for Cooma Monaro Railway as we continue to deliver on our [...]

What a huge honour tonight to win the "Outstanding Visitor Experience" award at the 2023 Snowy Monaro Business Awards. This is such a privilege for our organisation and a massive reward for all the volunteers and supporters that have helped us get to where we are today. It's difficult to explain how many hours and private resources are invested into developing and maintaining an attraction like this but it is absolutely worth it when we receive recognition like this. Thank you to Transport for NSW and Transport Heritage NSW for their continued support of heritage railway in NSW. And [...]