Log depot plan includes Masterton

A proposal to set up log depots in the lower North Island enabling logs to be transferred by rail to Wellington will take more than 100 logging trucks off the Rimutaka Hill road.
The proposal, put forward by Greater Wellington Regional Council, comprises setting up of log depots near Masterton, Marton and Wanganui, allowing the transfer from road to rail freight to Centreport in Wellington.
It's believed the "inland port" depot will initially be set up on land near the Masterton railway station. As the projected wall of wood comes on stream and volumes grow the depot will be moved to a dedicated site at Waingawa.
Transfund has approved funding of up to $3 a tonne of logs carted in the first year of operation, $2 a tonne in the second year of operation and $1 a tonne for the third year of operation. After this time, Transfund's financial contribution will cease.
Transfund chairwoman Jan Wright says the decision to fund this activity, of up to a maximum of $2 million over the three years, would mean fewer logging trucks on busy state highways, such as the Rimutaka Hill Road.
Fewer logging trucks on roads will mean increased safety and reduced maintenance costs, she said.
"Log harvest in the lower North Island is expected to double from the current one million cubic metres over the next five years, and to treble to three million cubic metres by the mid 2020s. This is a big increase and without the use of rail would lead to a big increase in the number of logging trucks over the next 20 years,"
Dr Wright said.
Regional council chairman Ian Buchanan said he is pleased to be the bearer of good news for motorists, who will no longer have to share state highway 1 and 2 corridors with heavy-duty logging trucks.
He said Central Log Rail Ltd has applied for, and received funding from Transfund New Zealand to assist the transfer of logs and timber products away from transport by road haulage to rail freight.
"Along with Toll NZ, CentrePort Wellington, Horizons Regional Council and forest harvest and log marketing company Pentarch Forest Products Ltd, I'm very pleased with the Transfund decision to support a funding application for a change in the mode of log transportation.
"Logs will now travel from depots in Wanganui, Marton and Masterton to CentrePort by rail. The swing to transporting logs by rail will be particularly good news for motorists as competing with, or queuing behind big logging trucks on our already busy state highways, can be a little over whelming."
"Logging truckers will also welcome the switch from road to rail transport as hauling logs on roads that were not purpose built for very heavy transport, such as the narrow and winding Rimutaka Hill for example, can be quite stressful."
Different transport patterns could lead to further efficiencies in either the rail or port handling operations over time and once forest owners had formed the habit of using rail they would be less likely to revert to road use, he said.