But logging trains only began running on January 26, 2020.
A week later, and after just six return trips, the trains were brought to a halt.
KiwiRail said it shut because of Covid-19's impact on the forestry industry.
Federated Farmers Wairoa branch chairman Allan Newton said some in rural communities were concerned at the taxpayer spending.
"When they work out that their hard-earned tax dollars have gone into a project that has achieved so little at this stage, they are concerned," he said.
"They spent a lot of millions of dollars getting this project off the ground and then not using it, it does appear to be a bit of a waste of time."
But Ken Crispin of Napier - a passionate advocate for rail - disagreed.
He said people must look beyond the short term.
"I think if you talk about it in terms of one year or three years that's not good enough. You've got to build a rail line and then promote it."
Crispin said the Napier-Wairoa Rd (State Highway 2) was dangerous and big trucks were making it worse.
He was not against roads, but said there needed to be fewer freight trucks.
"There's no way in the world that these trucks should be using that road.
If a truck is a 60-tonne truck, it's compacting that road and
it's like a golf course now -there's more holes in the road than there is a road."
Stephen Bell is co-chief executive of Forest Management NZ in Napier, which manages 26,000 hectares of forest around the country.
He said using rail was all about whether it was cost effective.
"We've always supported rail and we will continue to support rail. But the main driver for us is to make sure that it's not costing our client."
"Rail does remove trucks off the roads but it also allows quick turnaround times from our logging sites in and around that Wairoa area to the actual rail hub, as opposed to carting it all the way to ports or the domestic mills."
KiwiRail chief operations officer Todd Moyle said
the rail services are due to restart this year. He did not give a date.
He said it would begin with two return trains 0f 24 wagons each weekend,
He said rail had long-term benefits by reducing road maintenance costs and congestion and improving safety.
"When the logging trains are fully up and running, close to 13,000 truck journeys a year will be avoided."
Moyle said trains have 66 per cent less emissions than trucks per tonne of freight.
He expected trains to run daily when the line was at full capacity.
