Trains vital for when the tourists return to Dunedin

THE Dunedin City Council got rid of cable cars in the mid1950s. Wellington and San Francisco kept theirs and they are a mustsee tourist attraction today.

The trams went shortly after and yet Christchurch reinstated its trams in the CBD, where they are now a tourist attraction. Most European cities still have trams.

Electric trolley buses replaced trams and, once again, the DCC axed them in favour of dieselpowered buses.

The rest of the world understands the value of clean, nonpolluting electricity over diesel to move passengers around cities.

The DCC, as expected, now wants to wash its hands of the tourist rail system, mainly because it doesn’t make a profit. Neither does the albatross colony, yet tourists travel from across the world to see these overstuffed seagulls close up.

Does the stadium make a profit? Not directly, yet Dave Cull lauded the millions that flowed into Dunedin’s coffers when Elton John and Ed Sheeran performed there.

Tourists eat, drink, take taxis and buy possum merino sweaters. That’s where the profit lies.

If Dunedin Railways goes, so does one more reason for tourists to stay that extra day enjoying our fair city.

Think of Dunedin Railways as a ‘‘loss leader’’, attracting tourists who will spend their dollars in the greater Dunedin area.

Les Tubman

Oamaru

IT appears the board of Dunedin Railways continues to see it as a financial burden rather than the significant tourism asset it has been, and could continue to be.

As a tourist attraction, there is no need to directly make a profit for it to make a positive financial contribution to the community.

The arguments put forward for the likes of a stadium are far more easily justified if you relate them to Dunedin Railways.

On a good year, the railways make a small profit as well as cover essential maintenance. The problem now appears to be a differed maintenance cost of $11.8 million over the next 10 years for the Taieri Gorge line.

In the context of $300 million for the stadium, $30 million for the Otago Regional Council’s new office (or whatever that might now be), or

$4.5 million for repairs to the roof of the council building, does it really sound like that much?

These train trips bring a great deal of joy to many. I do hope we continue to support them.

Perhaps more inspired management with ideas about how to grow the business would help. Perhaps Dunedin Venues could help — it has done a good job with our other difficult tourist assets.

Stephen Macknight

St Leonards

Hospital digital plan

I WONDER if the Southern District Health Board should investigate bringing back Michael Swann to do this digital upgrade (ODT, 7.4.21 and 9.4.21)? Unpaid, of course!

Could be a way of offsetting the estimated cost. I think from memory it was $16 million he stole from the SDHB in the early 2000s.

M. Cowan

Concord

Court case

I AM disturbed to see lawyers and a spokesperson offering pleas in mitigation for the beating of an innocent teenager (ODT, 3.4.21).

Their defence was that these actions were based on ‘‘culture and faith’’.

Well, immigrants can bring whatever culture and faith they wish, but beliefwithoutevidence actions that breach the Crimes Act demonstrate that such a person(s) should never seek, nor be granted, residence in a secular democracy such as New Zealand.

Such persons should relocate to countries where such abuse is tolerated, and even encouraged by sloppy, and or, corrupt government and law enforcement.

Their punishment seems rather like the slap with the proverbial bus ticket.

B. Lennox

Dunedin