THE proposed Northern Rivers Rail Trail has received a major boost with former deputy prime minister Doug Anthony climbing aboard.

Mr Anthony, who served two stints as deputy PM in the 1970s and 80s, has agreed to serve as patron for the multi-million dollar project which entails converting the disused rail corridor stretching from Murwillumbah to Casino into a pedestrian and cycleway pathway.

"It's a great idea,” Mr Anthony said.

"At the moment it (the corridor) is going to waste. I want to see it developed, it's got great potential for emphasising what a beautiful place the Tweed is.

"It would be difficult to imagine a trail in more beautiful surroundings than this.”

Pat Grier, president of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail community group, said the arrival of Mr Anthony would serve to enhance the profile of the project.

"The biggest problem at the moment is getting government to recognise the enormous benefits of something like this,” he said.

"This will create hundreds of jobs and with people like Doug coming on board, it adds a huge amount of credibility to the project.”

Mr Anthony's appointment comes as Tweed Shire Council looks to simplify its proposal in a bid to secure the necessary state and federal government funding.

The initial bid to secure funding for the entire 132km Murwillumbah to Casino stretch was overlooked in 2015 in favour of a smaller project at Tumbarumba in the state's south.

The feedback from that process was that there were too many councils involved in the Northern Rivers project, with the corridor tracking through four local government areas.

Tweed Shire Council has now given priority to developing a 24km section from Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek and has already submitted applications to the state and federal governments in an attempt to secure the funding for the $13 million project.

"The emphasis now is let's look at doing the Tweed Shire section,” Mr Grier said.

"The first stage that we're looking at is Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek but the ultimate is Murwillumbah to Casino and that as a tourist attraction would be significant.”