Only parts fit for railbikes

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Re: On the future of rail here, March 13.

Peter Langer and PJ Reed — you two are out of touch. The Gizzy to Wairoa link has been closed for over 10 years now. The only section capable of holding any weight is from the Gisborne rail station to Coop Road. Even this section is in doubt because if someone doesn’t come up soon with $1 million to repair the small bridge crossings, the steam train trip will get shortened even more.

There are over 500 trucks a week on average using the Gizzy to Wairoa section of road. In my view it would cost more than $500 million to get the Gizzy to Napier line rebuilt, and it would only take 100 trucks off the road per week.

Then KiwiRail would have to keep closing the link to rebuild continual drop-outs and slips. That is silly.

The reason 500 metres of track has been ripped up is to open up an area to let the water away in extreme events. This is to prevent Nuhaka township flooding.

Ripping the line up is not theft, PJ, it is common sense.

Rolly, the link can’t be closed — it has to stay mothballed for many years. There are only sections that are fit for Railbike Adventures.

Opoutama up and over the Kopuawhara Viaduct, just 10 minutes short of the monument, is ready to go. We now have Wairoa District Council blocking that; call it ignorance, pig-headed, or what you like.

There are five rail adventures in New Zealand. Geoff Main’s Railbike Adventures is the only one of its kind, maybe in the world.

Gisborne doesn’t charge rates.

Awakeri Rail Adventures pays $700pa.

Wairoa District Council has charged Railbike Adventures more than $29,000 for two years and is wanting $11,000 for the 2024 year, which takes the rates bill to $40,000 for three years.

Note: Railbike Adventures would use 16km of rail line which equals 11 hectares. WDC is charging Geoff commercial rates on over 130ha.

Geoff hasn’t had an income off this section yet.

He has had five meetings over 18 months now; the last one in Auckland.

Quality Valuations NZ and KiwiRail support Geoff, but WDC won’t bend.

Merv Goodley