It became clear last year that the unused pedestrian bridge would not be high enough for double-stacked trains.

Culcairn Community Development Committee secretary Kirsty Wilksch said her group had since been in talks with the Australian Rail Track Corporation about how the bridge could be retained for community use.

"One idea is incorporating it into a new pedestrian footbridge across the Billabong Creek," she said.

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"There is a walkway down the side of the existing bridge, but as it's open to traffic it's dangerous to cross with kids.

"Another idea is to ask ARTC for more of the railway area on the pub side of the track, and incorporate the old bridge into a new park."

The footbridge lies within the Culcairn Railway Station and yard group on the state heritage register.

An ARTC spokeswoman said an environmental impact statement would be prepared for the project.

"Further engineering, heritage value and safety assessments are required to understand what might be feasible in terms of future use," she said.

The committee were informed in a letter that project officers would consider gifting the footbridge to the committee, auspiced by Greater Hume Shire, only if the NSW Heritage Council and the final report on the bridge's structural integrity deemed it safe to do so.

The outcome of a statement of heritage impact application will inform if the bridge can be simply removed, or if it needs to be replaced with a comparable structure.

The letter also said if the report deemed the bridge unsafe or contaminated, Inland Rail reserved the right to dispose of it, and if it was structurally sound, there would be no assistance given to refurbish or reconstruct the bridge.

Ms Wilksch said it was disappointing that the new project director was "unlikely to honour previous community consultation in December".

"Inland Rail offered to assist in relocating and re-establishing the footbridge in collaboration with the Culcairn Community," she said.

"There appears to be no leeway if the bridge is contaminated with lead paint.

"We'll continue to work with council and Inland Rail - it's one of the only main structures left from our railway heritage and is worth fighting for."

In other news:

The NSW Heritage Register listing specifically mentions the 1920s footbridge.

"The site is also unusual in having a footbridge across the tracks not associated with the station but at a level crossing, indicating the high level of traffic and activity at the town conflicting with main line and shunting movements," it reads.

Work on the Albury to Illabo is not scheduled to start until 2021.

The project will go through a planning approval process as a State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) project, and therefore an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared in response to the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs).

It's expected an application will be submitted for the SEARs later this year.