On 24 March 2014, the NSW Government opened a Request For Tender process for the Cowra Lines. The tender invited submissions from the private sector to restore, operate and maintain the Cowra Lines on a commercially sustainable basis. The Request For Tender process closed on 25 July 2014. The tender process was completed in April 2015. A comprehensive tender evaluation found that none of the proposals received adequately met the tender criteria. It concluded that there was too much uncertainty in the ability of the tenderers to return the lines to full service and run a commercially sustainable business without significant government support.