The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) wishes to congratulate KiwiRail on the reopening of the Napier to Wairoa railway today. The reopening of the railway will go a long way to redirecting log traffic from State Highway 2, improving the trip for other motorists and reducing the level of wear on the route.
With Napier to Wairoa reopened, the CBT believes KiwiRail should commit to repairing and reopening the Wairoa to Gisborne railway and re-establishing Gisborne’s link into the KiwiRail network. Convenor Jodi Johnston notes “with the increasing amount of freight traffic originating in the East Coast and the need for these items to get to market in a timely manner, a reopened rail link makes sense. Examples of such freight include logs and produce.” At present the only options for business in Gisborne is State Highway 2, a poor quality road and Gisborne Port, a limited facility.
Back when the Napier to Gisborne railway closed in 2012 the CBT supported moves by locals to revisit the closure and we are glad to see their hard work has paid off today.
