MORE than 14 years after the last train service on the Northern Rivers railway, many are still petitioning to have it reinstated.

Members of the Northern Rivers Railway Action Group have handed a petition with 6500 signatures to Lismore Country Labor candidate Janelle Saffin.

The petition was handed to Ms Saffin's office on Friday with the hope it would become a major election issue.

NRRAG spokesman John Sheldon said people in the region still wanted to travel between Murwillumbah and Casino by train.

"While delivering our petition, we will remind Ms Saffin that the line was closed by the then-state Labor government," Mr Sheldon said.

"This seriously disregarded the rights of the Northern Rivers community to a first-rate public transport system.

"So far successive governments have ignored the need for a revitalised rail service and done nothing. However this must change."

Mr Sheldon said his organisation believed support for the proposed rail trail cycle network demanded tearing up the tracks, which would expose the entire corridor to sell-off.

"We want to see a detailed plan established for the future of public transport, including immediate re-commissioning of the existing corridor, for the entire Northern Rivers region, with a future connection to Queensland's Gold Coast rail," he said.

Ms Saffin said she accepted the petitions and said she would send them to the Shadow Transport Minister, Jodi McKay.