Is $50k just the ticket to help get train back?
Southland’s regional leaders have welcomed a $50,000 government funding grant to investigate the return of a passenger train service between Christchurch and Invercargill.
Working in conjunction with KiwiRail, the funding will be used for an independent assessment of a business case to reintroduce a passenger link between the cities.
The funding announcement was part of a $160,000 package announced by Tourism Minister Paula Bennett and Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges to support tourism strategy projects in Canterbury.
The idea was first pitched in December by Timaru District mayor Damon Odey, who said he would lobby for the service to make a comeback.
The Southerner train passenger service was discontinued in 2002, after it became financially unsustainable.
In 2001, then-Otago Regional Council chief executive Graeme Martin had said numbers needed to increase from 37,000 a year to 70,000, just to break even.
Reactions to the latest decision in Southland were mainly positive, although questions over the economic feasibility remained.
Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt, who was a prominent member of the ‘‘Save the Southerner’’ campaign in 2001, said the announcement was ‘‘great news’’ for Southland.
‘‘I think it’s well worth looking at again. With increased tourism, the situation could very well change.
‘‘A lot of people travelling [from] overseas love a train trip. There’s not so much time pressure and you get a completely different view of the country.
‘‘It’s a great initiative and a response from the Government.’’
Shadbolt said the biggest challenge would relate to infrastructure, although the rail system was still maintained for great trains carrying a significant amount of freight.
Gore District mayor Tracy Hicks said while the announcement was ‘‘a bit of a surprise’’, there were some opportunities from a tourism perspective.
‘‘Modes of transport have certainly changed over the years. When the Southerner was phased out, trains weren’t the flavour of the month.
‘‘The impact of tourism then was nothing like it is now. It’s good that government are open to considering those options.
‘‘We’ll just have to wait and see what the business case says.’’ Southland District mayor Gary Tong said while he had some doubts over the financial viability, it was a very interesting proposal.
‘‘Whenever the Taieri train comes down to Bluff, they’re always sold out; people still love to travel by train for the nostalgia.
‘‘To have a weekly or daily service though, I don’t think that would work at the moment. that’s just my opinion though.
‘‘When the Silver Star was put into commission between Auckland and Wellington (during the 1970s), people said it was the best thing since sliced bread, but it soon became apparent that it really wasn’t.’’
Southland Regional Development Strategy governance chairman Tom Campbell said a similar proposal had been ‘‘briefly considered’’ by the SoRDS team.
‘‘We came to the conclusion that it was difficult to see if it would create enough money to pay for itself.
‘‘With government funding, they will be able to provide better analysis than what we could.
‘‘If it did come off, it would be fantastic. I would provide another route for people to come to visit the region.
‘‘It’s great that government has decided to invest the money. They wouldn’t have done it unless they thought it was worth looking into.’’ Three generations of Riverton rugby players are set to take to the field for the same team in the same game.
Mackie Thompson, 57, will line up in the loose forwards in Riverton’s division three Southland club rugby game against Otautau in Riverton today. That in itself is a fair effort. But joining Mackie is 36-year-old son Colin Thompson, who will play at halfback, and 16-year-old grandson Cullen Thompson who will feature in the outside backs.
Mackie and Colin have both played more than 100 games for the Riverton