Rail views don't toe chamber line: Nash

Wayne Walford, pictured just north of Westshore, Napier, near State Highway 2. Photo / Duncan Brown

Labour's Napier candidate Stuart Nash has called on his National opponent's employer to clarify his position on the Napier-Gisborne rail link.

Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce chief executive and National candidate Wayne Walford has advocated the mothballed line be turned into a cycleway.

Mr Nash said the chamber had been "extremely supportive" of the rail link and there was no role for party politics in the chamber's business.

"Official statements by the then CEO Mr [Murray] Douglas described the mothballing as 'foolish in the extreme', 'a completely wrong decision for short-term gain', and it was 'inconceivable to have a massively productive part of New Zealand (such as Hawke's Bay) without rail'," Mr Nash said.

"As recently as January 2013, the chamber, in its official statements, expressed support for the reopening of the rail line," Mr Nash said.

"There is nothing surprising about this because it fits perfectly with the chamber's role of supporting businesses and economic development in the region.

"What is surprising, however, is that a year later new chamber CEO Wayne Walford is now publicly advocating for the line to be permanently closed and turned into a cycleway."

Chamber president Brent Linn said Mr Walford's views on the line were personal and not those of the chamber.

The chamber voiced the concern of its members when the line to Gisborne was closed and supported them in calls to have it reopened.

There were conflicting views amongst interested parties on whether road was better than rail, Mr Linn said.

Mr Walford said the cycleway had spectacular scenery and would be the only fly-in and fly-out cycling trail in the country, because there were airports at both ends.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council has earmarked just under $5.5 million in its draft annual plan to re-establish the line, conditional on KiwiRail and the Government funding its return.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee said rail volumes were not strong enough to justify reopening the line and that roading infrastructure was widely valued.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said even if there was a major oil and gas find on the East Coast it would not bring about any significant increase in rail use.