Further studies in line with feasibility report

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

Opinion

Re: Clarity on rail required, May 2 letter.

Further engineering work and freight studies have been done following the release of BERL's Turanga ki Wairoa Rail Feasibility Report in December. This work has provided confidence in the figures noted in the BERL report of up to $30 million for repair and reinstatement of the rail line and have taken the place of a business case study.

As recommended in the BERL report, the key to achieving this is that the work be done by local/regional contractors external to KiwiRail.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Gisborne District Council have expressed their strong support for this project in writing to key Ministers and Crown Infrastructure Partners, and GDC has requested that this project be approved and funded. However, it is not necessary that the council lead this project, which is for reinstatement of a Crown-owned asset, and the council would not receive funding for the project unless they are leading it.

The recommendation in the BERL report to relocate the freight loading yard away from the Gisborne Railway Station is being considered as an integral part of this rail reinstatement project. This may require some land acquisition.

The comments reported in Saturday's Gisborne Herald from KiwiRail's CEO Greg Miller are disappointing given that KiwiRail was a member of the steering group guiding the development of the BERL report.

His estimates seem extreme. It is understood that following the basic repair and reinstatement of the rail line a further $5m to $7m would be required in additional bridge, tunnel and track works, and there would also need to be contingency funding for slips in the future. Mr Miller may be anticipating (exaggerating even) extra costs which would not be necessary to get the line running, but could be considered as future improvements.

Gillian Ward

Gisborne Rail Action Group