A new not-for-profit organisation Tairawhiti Rail will try to reopen the Gisborne to Napier railway line, which it sees as financially viable.
The existence of Tairawhiti Rail (TRL), — formed by a group of Gisborne directors — was revealed this week by Rick Thorpe in a submission to Gisborne District Council's 2018/28 long-term plan.
TRL planned to bring together the contractors necessary to initiate a regional short-line railway service, if KiwiRail was not prepared to manage the line, he said.
The organisation believed there was a strong commercial case for restoring the link, based primarily on shipping containers and supported by the recent growth in horticulture and timber processing.
With restoration of the line from Napier to Wairoa under way, possibly all the way to Mahia, the group believed it was logical to complete restoration of the whole line.