The tram track runs for about 170 metres beside the Whanganui River. Photo / Tramways Whanganui Trust
The tram track runs for about 170 metres beside the Whanganui River. Photo / Tramways Whanganui Trust
Extending Whanganui’s tramway track is likely to be financially unsustainable according to a new report.
There is 170m of active track between the Moutoa Quay shed and the Waimarie wharf, with one tram in use.
Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said any economic benefit of an extension could not justify the cost of potential engineering works.
“The report has, though, identified a number of opportunities that could be made at an operational and governance level, specifically around partnering up and formalising relationships between other attractions within Whanganui.”
The Waimarie paddle steamer, Durie Hill Elevator and possibly the “London Bus”, operated by Whanganui resident Neville Gorrie, could form a package of heritage transport experiences, Langford said.
“That could also be used to connect some of our cultural institutions like the [Royal Whanganui] Opera House and the Sarjeant Gallery when it reopens.”
Councillors had requested a tram study be undertaken last year but using external consultants would have cost much more than the $40,000 budget, Langford said.
A revised study, costing $25,000, was completed largely in-house.
According to data from economic consultants Infometrics, the extension could increase tram patronage by about 7500 passengers a year and increase annual spending in Whanganui by about $265,000.
However, constructing the track would cost $4.2m and the tram was expected to run at a loss of about $24,000 a year, with a $59,000 loss being the worst-case scenario and a $9600 profit as the best.
The study said some stakeholders and members of the community had suggested the tramway could be put back into service as a public transport system, but constructing a 14km track from Aramoho to Castlecliff - at $3 million a kilometre - would cost more than $42m.
Whanganui Deputy Mayor and new Tramways Whanganui Trust chairwoman Helen Craig. Photo / NZME
“This cost alone makes a tram-based public transport system highly uncompetitive when compared to bus transport,” it said.
“This is reflective of the history of the Whanganui tramways and its subsequent decline with the introduction of the Greyhound buses."
The study, prepared by Langford, independent consultant Paul Bayly and former Tramways Whanganui Trust (TWT) chairman Kritzo Venter, said there were strained relationships between the parties involved in the trams, with volunteers feeling their efforts were not being recognised and trustees feeling the volunteers were not working efficiently.
The tram operation involves TWT and its operations committee and the Tram Ownership Trust.
Speaking to the Chronicle, new TWT chairwoman, Whanganui Deputy Mayor Helen Craig, said the governance model had become “very convoluted”.
“The operations committee is the guys and ladies who are doing the real work on the ground,” she said.
“Over time, I think things got too complicated and too hard, so we are coming in with a fresh broom and having a big meeting this afternoon [Tuesday].
“It’s nobody’s fault.”
Craig said Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe, the Whanganui Riverboat Restoration and Navigation Trust chairwoman Marion Johnston, and Durie Hill Elevator operator Anthonie Tonnon had joined the TWT.
That allowed for a “joined-up discussion around heritage transport”, she said.
“Without the feasibility study, no one felt confident about moving ahead with anything.
“All of the ‘we should have a tram extension and where should it be’, that’s gone.
“Now, let’s get some funding, focus on these great assets and make the most of them, and get the trusts aligned. It’s time to get cracking.”
Langford said the council had not allocated any money for the trusts, which were separate to the council, to help them with the heritage experience project.
“Council could choose to do that but we would need to look at the cost implications and the level of support council provides,” he said.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
