Forgotten rail line eyed as cycleway

Renewed efforts to put a long forgotten railway branch line to good use are being made by a group of Greytown people intend on improving the health of townspeople while tidying up their own backyard.
Cotter Street residents have collectively signed onto a campaign organized by Gerad Taylor to utilise the rail corridor from where the recycling depot is now situated at the end of their street to Woodside, along the lines of the rail trails made popular in Australia.
They want to create a walkway/cycleway along the paper road that has had no use since the steam train link to Woodside was made redundant by Sid Holland's National Government in the mid 1950s.
Ironically the proposal seems to fit snugly with the thinking of today's Prime Minister John Key, a strong supporter of cycle trails and whose National Government has set aside $9 million to kick start construction of a national cycleway that will eventually result in a " patchwork quilt" of trails costing around $50 million.
A Woodside-Cotter Street cycleway has the support of both Greytown School and Kuranui College.
College principal Geoff Shepherd said the college board has discussed the proposal and had given it the thumbs-up.
"We think it would be good for the schools' and for the town as a whole as a way of encouraging fitness.
"I am keen to see it go ahead."
When the steam train was running the rail link extended through to the West Street extension, with the train being an important link especially for growers who used it to transport produce from the town to Woodside and then onto markets in Wellington. It was closed by the Holland government as being uneconomic, along with other branch lines throughout the country.
Mr Taylor said it was hoped the Greytown community would get behind the proposal, that has been outlined in a submission to South Wairarapa District Council, and that the cycleway could be developed using voluntary labour.
Service clubs and school pupils could get involved with planting native trees, fencing and forming the cycleway. He said it is thought part of the old railway corridor near the Woodside end is now in private ownership but the farmers might be persuaded to become involved, allowing the trail to go right through to Woodside station.
Cotter Street people consider developing the cycleway would mean shifting the council's recycling depot located right at the start of the proposed cycleway/walkway at the Greytown end.
Two options, both involving moving the depot north west and away from residentially zoned areas, have been put to council with the suggestion the existing depot site could then be developed as a BMX park.
"Carterton has an excellent BMX park, well used by children and a park would be a logical gateway for the Greytown cycleway."
Mr Taylor said the cycleway would be a boon for cyclists who commute as they would not have to encounter traffic as they now do on Woodside Road.
"Native tree planting would attract birds and it would be a wonderful venue for a Sunday stroll.
The group's submission has been included on a Greytown Community Board agenda for next Wednesday's meeting.