Bring back rail services to Mosgiel, hinterland

I HAVE been following developments concerning the mothballing of the assets of the Dunedin Railways enterprise.

Covid19 is responsible for swiftly reordering our province. Before Covid19, the idea of reinstating a commuter train between Mosgiel and Dunedin was beginning to surface.

Do reinstate a commuter train service with feeder buses to link to it at both Mosgiel and Green Island. We have a fleet of carriages and engines now sitting idle, so why not fasttrack this?

Timetabled sensibly, this might prove even more popular than imagined. When the new section of motorway that bypasses Fairfield opened nearly 20 years ago, the volume of traffic that used it far exceeded forecasts at the time.

Dunedin Railways should retain ownership of the railway line between Wingatui and Middlemarch and work with Port Otago and transport providers on the development of an inland port at Middlemarch.

Containerisation is conventional, so transport companies can be coordinated to deliver containers to Strath Taieri, where these can be transferred to trains to run down the line to Port Otago — and vice versa.

This would remove hundreds of truck movements from the steep routes from the Otago hinterland, and from roads through urban Dunedin. This would also ensure the future viability of the line for reinstating the passenger trains up the Taieri Gorge.

Mark Hughes

Kew

THE mothballing of Dunedin Railways was a shock, especially to its workers. It seems on the surface that this might have been the only choice, but, I feel there is a huge risk of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The Taieri Gorge railway is a huge tourist attraction for Dunedin and will be for some time, if managed through this difficult time wisely.

The best way to maintain assets is to use them. The best assets are the people who work for the organisation, and these will prove to be the most difficult to replace.

The idea of using these trains as a commuter service is an excellent suggestion, as commuter rail is the most attractive form of commuting there is and best in terms of travel safety and carbon emissions.

This tourist down time is the best time for Dunedin to give its citizens this choice of travel, to gauge its success and to maintain and retain the valuable assets of Dunedin rail going forward.

The Taieri Gorge railway line could, in future be managed by the Government, through a proposed change in legislation to separate the belowwheel costs of infrastructure from the above rail trading company. This system, used for roads, is why roads appear to be more successful than rail, and would lighten the burden of Dunedin ratepayers.

Niall Robertson

Auckland

Opening tourism

CLUTHASOUTHLAND MP Hamish Walker has set up a petition to restore at least some domestic air services to Queenstown (ODT, 28.4.20).

Might I suggest he think more broadly, and factor in the likelihood of a ‘‘transtasman bubble’’ coming into being.

With the ski season coming up in a couple of months, when we may well be back at Level 2 or even Level 1, and with all the employment that skiing offers to locals (including those from overseas), an influx of Aussies could be wonderfully helpful.

Hospital meals

R. Gardner

Waverley

PETE Hodgson is adroit at doing the political sidestep, we know.

His ‘‘nonanswer’’ reply (Letters, 2.5.20) to Annette Riley’s question about locally sourced and locally prepared meals for Dunedin Hospital is typical of his highhanded shepherding of our new, and reduced, hospital project.

Pete, please listen and give Otago what it needs and wants.

Susan Easterbrook

St Kilda

IN recognition of the importance of readers’ contributions to the letters page, the newspaper each week selects a Letter of the Week with a book prize courtesy of Penguin Random House. This week’s winner is J. Ball, of St Kilda, for a letter about the mothballing of Dunedin Railways. The prize is a copy of The Gulf Between, by Maxine Alterio. The winning letter was printed on Tuesday and can be read on the ODT website.