Ormondville Rail Preservation Group Inc
This page is published on this website with the permission of The Napier Mail
Back on track with the wine country express?
By Carolyn Veen (Friday, 27 July 2001)
THERE’S something innately familiar and romantic about hearing and seeing a train cutting through the countryside, something that is easily taken for granted until the reality of losing it awakens the desire to preserve it.
Without a doubt, Bay Express needs to be reconfigured and remarketed, and while we don’t own the rails, we do own the corridor, and regional councils or local authorities can’t just fund or buy Bay Express or even subsidise it because it’s not that simple.
Our Mayor, Alan Dick, has been acting as facilitator for the various stakeholders affected by the future of this rail service, in working collectively and undertaking discussions with West Coast Railway in Australia to encourage them to purchase and operate this service. Their business case proposal is currently being considered.
West Coast Railway, who is in the process of purchasing a number of profitable passenger services from Tranz Rail, may need some incentive and encouragement to take over the run-down and not-so-profitable Bay Express.
At a meeting called by Alan Dick on July the 9th of this year, the Chairman and General Manager of West Coast Railway, indicated a willingness to participate in a possible solution to the threatened Bay Express closure, and much of the meeting focused on retaining the existing service.
The tourism sector’s interests presented at the meeting could see a good opportunity for the current service being retained ‘if it leads to future development with a greater tourism orientation’.
“Our view, and I believe shared by West Coast Railway, is that the tourism component will need to be added to the commuter base for a long-term sustainable future to be achieved. While tourism alone cannot provide a year-round solution, done properly, it could provide the incremental level of profitability that the private sector will need. Simply subsidising the continuation of the current service will only defer the problem by two or three years.”
At Alan Dick’s request, a report by the Regional Tourism Agencies proposed various marketing strategies for a successful tourism train operation.
“I believe this is a very good report, where some collective lateral thinking has resulted in some very interesting and attractive options.”
The report will assist West Coast Rail Railway in their preparation of the Business Case for retention of the service, which is due to be considered by stakeholders after Friday (today) the 27th of July 2001.
The strategic objectives hope to retain and make sustainable, existing passenger services for the East Coast of the North Island, and to develop a major alternative to traditional international visitor flows through New Zealand. It would also hope to create a nationwide icon tourism product to rival the Milford Track and the Tranz Alpines, etc, and to develop this product into a ‘must do’ experience for New Zealand travellers and
international travellers to our country, all the while establishing Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Martinborough as New Zealand’s primary wine tourism route.
In order to create this unique and compelling tourism-related product, a number of key synergies must exist and the components must be relevant to, and desired by, markets that currently favour our country, or those that are likely to visit our country in the future.
“The rail line currently travels through two of our great wine regions, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, and while the route connects through the Manawatu to Wellington, there seems to be little reason why the route could not in fact, at certain times of the year, change direction at Woodville to travel through another great wine region, Martinborough, and on to Wellington.”
From a marketing point of view, linking these great wine regions in one itinerary from the international gateway of Wellington, is an attractive one. The scenic appeal is an added bonus, which would compare well with other great train journeys in other parts of the world that rely on the scenery from the windows of their carriages. The stunning views created by the rugged hilly and tunnelled native bush on the trip from Wellington through to the Wairarapa, gradually transform into the vines and fields of Hawke’s Bay, and then back again into the wonderful landscapes from Wairoa to Gisborne. This will provide a unique and compelling series of scenic experiences for the visitor, an experience that can be achieved in a one-day journey.
“For a train journey to have tourism relevance, it must be an experience, and for some that may mean travelling on a steam train with restored carriages, while for others it may be journeying in modern rail cars built to enhance the landscape viewing and providing world-class dining experiences. We feel that a luxury train with a first-class restaurant, sensibly linked to standard passenger carriages and possibly some freight cars, would be a core component and relevant to our situation. Success of course, would not be overnight.”
As part of the fleet, Tranz Rail already have a luxury meeting-room car, and Mr Dick says if this becomes part of the transfer of assets in the proposed West Coast Railway deal, it would provide an excellent additional facility for corporate groups.
Many regions could benefit from this kind of service, and here in the Bay a luxury travel service would further underpin the region’s aspirations to be a world class wine/tourism destination.
It all sounds wonderful, but here comes the hard bit, the funding.
“Clearly, part of the reason that the Bay Express is not currently viable is that Tranz Rail have under-invested and let the operation run down. It has been suggested that a funding subsidy should be provided to West Coast Railway to reimburse them for the loss incurred in running the service until they can make it profitable. This assumes of course that they are able to change people’s current travel patterns through better marketing and scheduling an improved passenger service. A number of parties at the recent meeting suggested that a subsidy was a little risky, and the preferred alternative would be to fund the infrastructure associated with the service. Perhaps it could go into upgrading the stations and modernising the support services, which would reduce West Coast Railway’s requirement to fund those things and leave them free to make the basic service a profitable one.”
There may well be a good case for grant assistance from Eastern and Central Community Trust, or other community-funding sources, for the public good components. It would seem the TLA’s responsibility would be restricted to emergency funding to retain the existing passenger service in the interim, and then to develop the infrastructure around this for development reasons.
Agencies funded by local government for regional marketing would, no doubt, be keen to heavily support the marketing of a new icon product domestically and internationally.
“With a clear vision, investment support and community backing we can turn the struggling passenger service into a long-term and sustainable experience for the future.”
While the Bus and Coach Association of New Zealand oppose subsidies for the Rail Service, and have made valid and understandable points from their perspective, Mr Dick says we need to be more pragmatic.
“From my perspective, we need to be considering that passenger rail transport and a unique tourism experience could otherwise be lost forever, and a short term subsidy would be justified for the good of the wider public. The subsidy should be seen as a kick-start to enable the new operators to turn the business around and then compete on a level playing field with its competitors.”
With regards to a letter written by Alan Dick to Jim Anderton, the Minister for Economic Development, requesting assistance for the first year’s funding subsidy, Mr Dick outlined the above challenges that were faced in putting together a convincing deal for the West Coast Railway to consider.
“I also spoke to the Minister personally and he has promised to look at the proposal on its merit, but he also commented that the Government was looking at the whole issue of rail transport, strategically as a national issue.”
Letters to the editor:
Put money where mouth is (3 August 2001)
Sir.- I am a new addition to Napier and I have heard nothing else except “Save the Bay Express”. Certainly! By all means, this is one of this country’s – New Zealand’s – very vital and main attractions. There are a few that couldn’t care less, “Can’t afford it they say, “Too much to run” etc etc.
Balls! Come on you land loving Napier, Gisborne folk and “enthusiasts”, it is time to put your money where your mouths and hearts are.
So what, if they can’t afford to run it. Tranz Rail that is. How about the folk of this part of the world putting together and purchasing the system? Crazy? I think not, there are enough skilled and trained people out there that would be only to pleased to run it and to make it a very pleasant attraction. Take a look at the steam loco, the places they visit use them as tourist attractions. So why not the “Bay Express” owned and operated by the people of “Gisborne and Napier”.
Show the sceptics and the authorities that a bit of kiwi enterprise and skill does exist and can beat the cry downs. Okay, it costs money to do this, but I am sure there are more than enough folk that would be only to pleased to say “Yeah we bought it and we look after it”.
Do it up. Paint it in the Bay colours. Put a dolphin or some very significant emblem up on it, and the carriages and call it the “Bay’s Challenge”.
Make it something to be proud of and make it a future that shows that the people not the government can do it! Let’s not be beaten by a system that says no! They don’t want the cost or worry of it anymore. But what a challenge to the Bay, eh?
Gordon Milner
Napier
Thumbs down (17 August 2001)
Sir, last Wednesday I arrived at the Napier Travel Centre to meet my wife, who was returning from Wellington on the Bay Express. The car park was full of travellers and 3 buses. My immediate thought was that they were also waiting for the train so that arriving passengers could catch the buses that were about to leave to such destinations as Gisborne, and possibly Taupo, Rotorua and Tauranga. Who knows?
How could I have been so wrong? As the haunting strain of the train whistle echoed from the area of the golf course at Awatoto, there was a rush of activity around the buses and as the train pulled in to the platform the last of the buses pulled out of the yard.
This letter is not meant as a criticism of the Travel Centre Staff who are employed to ensure the buses run to a schedule, but it is a sad reflection on the bus companies who obviously don’t wont to work with Tranz Rail and allow train passengers the opportunity to carry on with a journey to (say) Gisborne. Thumbs down Newmans and InterCity.
Frank Riley
Napier
End of the railway line (24 August 2001)
By Carolyn Veen
THE Hawke’s Bay Regional Council have made the decision not to fund our rail system, which means the Bay Express has finally come to the end of its line.
Our Mayor, Alan Dick, feels disappointed with the outcome because he has been acting as facilitator for the various stakeholders affected by the future of this rail service, in working collectively and undertaking discussions with West Coast Railway in Australia to encourage them to purchase and operate this service.
But, Bay Express needed to be reconfigured and remarketed, and while we own the corridor and not the rails, the regional councils or local authorities couldn’t just fund or buy Bay Express or even subsidise it because it wasn’t that simple.
Part of the reason that the Bay Express has not been currently viable is that Tranz Rail have under-invested and let the operation run down. It has been suggested that a funding subsidy should have been provided to West Coast Railway to reimburse them for the loss incurred in running the service until they can make it profitable.
West Coast Railway, who is in the process of purchasing a number of profitable passenger services from Tranz Rail, needed some incentive and encouragement to take over the run-down and not-so-profitable Bay Express.
At a meeting called by Alan Dick on July the 9th of this year, the Chairman and General Manager of West Coast Railway indicated a willingness to participate in a possible solution to the threatened Bay Express closure, and much of that meeting focused on retaining the existing service.
“The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is the only regional council that has dealt with it definitively, and without their support, the ball is now in the court of West Coast Rail to decide if they want to continue,” say Mr Dick.
The Napier Mail spoke to West Coast Rail’s General Manager, Don Gibson, on Wednesday and he was not aware of the decision, and surprised to hear the news.
“I suppose all we can say now is that we will have to investigate the possibility of putting on a competitive and affordable road-coach service from Palmerston North to Napier, and then see what happens. The service will not run without funding, and because we’ve only just found out about it, we can’t really make any promises at this stage, but it looks like you’ve lost the rail service completely!”
Baldock seeking third term on HBRC (24 August 2001)
HAWKE’S Bay Regional Councillor Allan Baldock will be seeking a third term as Napier’s representative on the Regional Council.
Councillor Baldock has already served two terms and is Chair of the Landcare Committee as well as member of the Regulatory Committee and the Heretaunga Plains Committee.
Recently, he passed a paper in Environmental Law as part of his study towards an Environmental Management qualification.
“The council is facing new challenges from changes to the Local Government Act and the introduction of a National Biodiversity Strategy and Oceans Policy. The next term will present us with some interesting decisions.”
Allan, who is a Justice of the Peace, is married to Salli and has three children, would like to see improved Regional co-operation.
“Issues such as the Bay Express should unite all local authorities in seeking a solution to retaining this important service,” said Mr Baldock.
Last Updated: 24/8/2001