Visitors wanting to travel by rail to Taumarunui for a canoeing experience were put off by fare prices.
Photo / Supplied
Visitors wanting to travel by rail to Taumarunui for a canoeing experience were put off by fare prices.
Photo / Supplied
A Taumarunui tour operator was appalled when one of her customers was quoted an inflated price to travel from Wellington by rail.
Karen Hawkless, of Taumarunui Canoe Hire and Jet Boat Tours, said a customer who wanted to travel from Wellington with a group of 20 people was quoted aKiwiRail fare of $318 return for each passenger while the fare to Waitomo, further north than Taumarunui, was $100 less.
"She has found an alternative means of travel for the group because they really wanted to come," Hawkless said.
"We are very busy in the summer and KiwiRail could have a lot more customers stopping here if the fares were reasonable."
Horizons regional councillor Weston Kirton said the pricing was outrageous and described it as a "Taumarunui tax".
However, a KiwiRail spokesperson has now said the quote was made in error.
"The customer was mistakenly quoted the wrong rate by our customer service operator. The quoted fare was for travelling on the Northern Explorer from Wellington through to Auckland, not Taumarunui," the spokesperson said.
"The exact group rate varies according to season and demand but would usually be around $100 less than the quoted $318 return for travelling from Wellington to Taumarunui.
Hawkless said she was sent a copy of the quote and it clearly stated that the fare price was for travel between Wellington and Taumarunui.
"I question the revised amount as well," she said.
"It is only $158 return to National Park which is 30 minutes away and $218 to Waitomo which is further so surely they should be charging somewhere between the two.
"It's really off-putting for visitors."
Horizons Regional Council Ruapehu representative Weston Kirton.
Photo / John Chapman
Kirton, who has been lobbying to have a regular rail service reinstated since he was elected as Horizons' Ruapehu representative in 2019, said the news was frustrating when KiwiRail had claimed that stopping in Taumarunui was not financially viable.
"It makes you wonder how many other mistakes they have made," he said.
"They have stated that they will not stop unless there are 10 or more passengers booked and they could have had 20."
Taumarunui, which has no public transport or taxi service, was dropped from the North Island main trunk service along with Marton and 10 other stops in 2012 when KiwiRail shifted its focus to tourism.
The nearest stop is 40km away at National Park and passengers have not been allowed to disembark at Taumarunui even when the train stops there to change drivers.
The Northern Explorer service was suspended altogether in March 2020 when New Zealand's borders closed and when it had not resumed after lockdown, all 18 regional and unitary councils, city and district councils on the main trunk route successfully lobbied for the restoration of service between Auckland and Wellington.
However, Taumarunui was still not on the schedule.
The Government's Transport and Infrastructure Committee published its report on Kirton's rail petition in March this year and KiwiRail responded that it was open to hearing requests from other communities along the main trunk line.
Although it welcomed discussions about operating a more commuter-focused service through the main trunk line, KiwiRail said significant government funding would be needed. It also said current demand indicated that there was not enough of a market for a passenger service.
Kirton said he believed KiwiRail was now more entrenched in that position and ignoring its social obligation to provide public transport that was efficient and responsive to the need to reduce carbon emissions.
