Calls are being made for a passenger train to return to Hawke's Bay. Photo / NZME
Calls are being made for a passenger train to return to Hawke's Bay. Photo / NZME
A Hawke's Bay MP has criticised the region's public transport plan for "ignoring" passenger trains as a viable option - 20 years after they last ran in the region.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council says the "prohibitive cost and time required" to establish a passenger rail service is why it hasbeen omitted from the council's draft 10-year public transport plan.
Hawke's Bay has been without passenger trains since the Bay Express service between Napier and Wellington was scrapped in October 2001.
Apart from sporadic services - such as a vintage railcar operating between Waipukurau and Napier during the Art Deco Festival - passenger trains have become a thing of the past in Hawke's Bay.
Lorck has this week encouraged people to make a submission on the region's public transport plan as a "first step" to try to reintroduce the service.
Lorck has also criticised the Hawke's Bay Regional Council for omitting trains from the draft plan, which sets out public transport goals for the next 10 years.
"The council is telling us to not 'miss the bus' by submitting to its public transport plan but, by rail's absence, appear to be ignoring rail altogether," she said.
"The council is, however, also asking us if it's left anything off [to make a submission] so let's tell the council to include a commuter passenger rail option."
Lorck said much of the infrastructure was already in place in Hawke's Bay, and there was a growing number of commuters travelling by car between Central Hawke's Bay, Napier and Hastings.
Children waiting for the now defunct Bay Express service at Waipukurau in 2001. Photo / Warren Buckland
"The beauty for Hawke's Bay is we already have an operational railway line connecting our region – it goes right through the middle of Hastings."
A Hawke's Bay Regional Council spokeswoman said rail had not been included in its draft public transport plan due to a couple of main factors.
"Rail has not been included in this plan due to the prohibitive cost and time required to establish passenger rail services," she said.
"The cost of establishing passenger service is expensive due to the capital expenditure that would be required including refurbishing carriages and providing modern accessible platforms and terminals.
"The current infrastructure in Hawke's Bay does not include dual lines prohibiting passenger and freight to operate at the same time.
"There would need to be significant lead in time to develop the infrastructure to enable rail as a means of public transport and that could not be delivered within the timeframe of the plan that we are consulting on."
KiwiRail told Hawke's Bay Today late last year that it was open to reinstating a passenger service in the region in the future, but it was not financially viable on its own and would require subsidies.
Federation of Rail Organisations of NZ board member Guy Wellwood, from Hawke's Bay, said there would be huge benefit in bringing a passenger service back to the Bay.
"It makes so much sense the list includes easing congestion, air pollution, tire pollution, damage to roads, road accidents, the cost of roading - there are so many reasons why we should change things."
You can make a submission on the region's public transport plan by going to the HBRC website up until August 31.
