Views on fixing rail link sought

Kiwi Rail remains in no hurry to spend the "millions" it will cost to repair and upgrade the Stratford-Okahukura railway line.

The track owner has called for public submissions before making a decision in the New Year on upgrading the line.

A Taranaki SOL (Stratford-Okahukura line) working group will convene in the coming weeks to put forward a strong submission for restoration of the track, while also considering whether the region could front the funding.

Kiwi Rail central regional manager John Sargent faced the regional land transport committee meeting at the Taranaki Regional Council yesterday to update progress since the SOL was closed following damage by a November 2 derailment.

Eight kilometres of track and 10,000 sleepers were damaged at the northern end near Tunnel 24, all needing replacement at $400,000 cost.

Mr Sargent said there has been no significant upgrades since the track opened in 1932.

There have been seven derailments in the last 12 months, poor formations in 15 of the 24 tunnels, and currently 34 separate speeding restrictions on the line. Fixing Tunnel 24 alone would cost $750,000.

"The line runs through country best described as geographically challenging," Mr Sargent said. He said the only regular use of the track is by Fonterra product on an 8pm-5am run, and the company was comfortable being diverted via the Marton and North Island Main Trunk Line.

Kiwi Rail had lost only a "small proportion" of New Plymouth clients where companies who received late deliveries could not load the Marton-bound train by 5.30pm departure time.

"Would spending millions of dollars upgrading the line be justified on the basis of current and projected traffic?" But committee members argued the SOL remains crucial as an east-west corridor and permanent part of Taranaki's infrastructure.

An SOL working group will convene in the next three weeks to formulate a strong submission to the Kiwi Rail board.

Stratford District Mayor Neil Volzke said he spoke with Ruapehu District mayor Sue Morris, who is also very concerned about the closure at the that end of the line, and fully supported a submission.

Committee deputy chairman Brian Jeffares was adamant the SOL needed saving, pointing to its "orchestrated unfunded" nature over the years by each new owner who always said they did not currently have the money to fix it up. "What we've got to do is maintain what we've had for a long time. This is important to Stratford, important to New Plymouth, and important to Taranaki. We should pull out the stops to fund as much as they can."

- © Fairfax NZ News