Bid to save Napier rail service goes online

A "Save the Bay Express" campaign has been launched on a Hawke's Bay website from almost 9600km away.

The campaign to save the Napier to Wellington passenger rail service has been started by a former Hastings man, Murray Potts, now working in the Taiwanese computer industry.

The service is threatened by the sale of Tranz Rail's long-distance passenger services to Australian-based West Coast Railway.

The Australian company said it would only continue running the Bay Express if it could be made economic.

Mr Potts has linked the campaign to the Hawke's Bay website www.hawkesbay.com, which he has been developing over the past year in partnership with Taradale volunteer firefighter and computer software designer Kerry Marshall.

Mr Marshall said Mr Potts was hugely interested in Hawke's Bay and was very disappointed that the Bay Express, one of the country's icons, faced an uncertain future.

He was using the internet as a forum and already five people, who supported the retention of the Napier-Wellington rail link, had posted their views on the site.

Mr Potts planned to give copies of the views of people visiting the "Save the Bay Express" site to Hawke's Bay local body leaders to support their efforts to keep the service, Mr Marshall said.

- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY