Submission on the Stratford to Okahukura Line.

The 143km rail link runs from Stratford to Okahukura, near Taumaruni and has been mothballed since the end of last year following a number of derailments. As a result, Fonterra milk products now travel 200km further between Taranaki and the Port of Tauranga.

Spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport, Cameron Pitches, says it is vital the link is reopened.

“It would be incredibly short-sighted to close it. This rail link is a the only alternative route between Auckland and Wellington for the main trunk line. If there is a washout or a volcanic event, rail freight between these two cities will be stuck,” said Mr Pitches.

“In the future there are large areas of logs to be felled close to the rail route and there are even coal deposits in the region.”

KiwiRail says it will need less than $15 million spent on upgrading the line over the next 3 years to have it up to full operational standards capable of carrying freight and tourist services.

“It’s an incredibly scenic, unspoilt part of the country,” said Mr. Pitches. “For a country that prides itself on tourism and a clean green image, it should be a no-brainer.”

“We also know from the experience of the Rotorua line closure that once a line is closed, it becomes exponentially more expensive to reopen due to deterioration and theft.”

“It is galling that tens of millions of dollars have been spent already on economically unviable projects such as the Puhoi to Wellsford highway, yet we struggle to maintain a basic rail network. Oil prices continue to be volatile – having a functioning rail network is an excellent hedge against future declines in oil supply.”

KiwiRail has insisted that closure of the line is not a foregone conclusion, and is taking submissions on the decision until this Friday. The Campaign for Better Transport is urging concerned members of the public to send submissions to Kevin Ramshaw at KiwiRail –

Transport lobby group the Campaign for Better Transport today announced concern over KiwiRail’s decision last week to mothball the rail line between Taranaki and the Waikato.

“We fear that this could be the thin edge of the wedge, with more line closures to come,” said Jon Reeves, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport.

As a consequence of the closure, milk product sourced from Fonterra farms in Taranaki and bound for Tauranga will now travel hundreds of kilometres further, via Marton rather than directly from Stratford.

“As a country we are supposed to be focussed on improving the efficiency of freight and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.  It doesn’t make sense to delay the decision on reopening the line until next year.”

KiwiRail CEO Jim Quinn announced last week that repairing the line in the wake of a recent derailment, at a cost of $400,000 cannot be immediately justified, “given that only one return train uses the line a day at present.”

But Mr Reeves points out that the reason the line has little use at present is that the track is in such poor condition.  “It has been so run down over the last decade that trains are barely capable of using it. If the line was fixed to a suitable standard then freight and passengers could take advantage a direct link between Taranaki and the Waikato.”

There have been at least seven reported derailments in the last year on the rail link, which runs from Stratford to Okahukura, just north of Taumaranui.

“We agree with the need to close the line temporarily so that the necessary repairs can be carried out safely,” said Mr. Reeves, “but we would like to see a commitment from KiwiRail and the Government to reopening the line as soon as  possible.”

Mr. Reeves acknowledged that the final bill for bringing the line up to standard could well be over a million dollars, but said that this amount was “peanuts in comparison to the billions being spent on roading infrastructure in this year alone.”

[ends]

Notes:

KiwiRail press release:

http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=35&cntnt01dateformat=%25d%20-%20%25m%20-%20%25Y&cntnt01returnid=55

Map of North Island rail lines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NorthIsland_rrMap_v02.svg

For futher information, please contact Jon Reeves 021 535 295