Rail line being set up to fail

The Gisborne to Napier rail line is being set up to fail says Labour MP and East Coast candidate Moana Mackey.

KiwiRail representatives flew in from Wellington yesterday and spent two hours in Gisborne to listen to various groups advocate to keep the railway line from Gisborne to Napier open.

“The focus has shifted from one big customer such as Hikurangi Forest Farms to a mix of multiple customers who could produce the required freight to keep the line commercially viable. But this short term thinking is what will be the death of the line.”

“Why would any business commit to supporting our rail line when it's future is so insecure? Even our local MP – a Cabinet Minister – won't support the retention of the rail line so what assurance does that give local businesses?

“While KiwiRail was given ten years to build a business case, our rail line was given only two years to prove it’s worth. That’s unrealistic for such an important infrastructure asset. We immediately start looking to what is currently road freighted that could be transferred to rail instead of what asking what new business could we attract to the district?

“The National Government says they will only support rail if it can “stand on it's own two feet”, but this position doesn't recognise the huge taxpayer subsidies roading projects receive, and the savings generated from moving more road transport to rail and coastal shipping.

“Labour's transport policy recognises the benefits of a more diverse transport mix.

”As Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre Incorporated (CEAC) secretary Ken Crispin has pointed out there are a number of potential business customers who have expressed an interest in using rail to freight their products.

'We sell ourselves short as a community if we give up this crucial infrastructure without considering it's potential value to future economic development. Unfortunately this Government is only focused on short term cuts to pay for unaffordable tax cuts, and it is our rail line that will pay the price if they are reelected.