The Napier – Gisborne Railway

What is it?

• Part of the Palmerston North – Gisborne Line• Runs for 214 km north of Napier• Completed only in 1942• Difficult alignment – curves, grades, long

tunnels, high bridges, poor geology– 21 tunnels, 85 bridges

• Exposed to weather damage – Bola• Gisborne/Matawhero only freight points

What does it do• Not much• 70 return trains in 2009-10 – only 1-2 trains/week• 23,600t in 2009-2010 year

– Earns Kiwirail $587,000 revenue (under 0.5% total freight revenue)– About 67% of this is attributable to the line

• Mainly fertiliser– Other traffic – refrigerated products, general

• No intermediate traffic• Mainly only relates to Napier-Hastings, not wider network

– 58% in value goes to or from Napier-Hastings, much more in tonnage terms

• Traffic declined from 2004-05 (56,200t, $1.2m revenue)• Tourist trains

– GCVR– others

Typical train today

Southbound near Waikokopu. Photo: Kiwirail.

Why was it built?

• To connect Gisborne to national network

• After two false starts, one north and one south

• In era when road transport poor

• Offered passenger and freight faster connections than previously

• Reduced the district’s isolation

• 30 mile limit in place

Railway closures not new in district

• Two former branch lines closed, – Motuhoura (1959)– Ngatapa (1931)

• With no lasting impact• Other important local railways also closed,

their task done, or superseded by newer technology– Gentle Annie– Sponge Bay

What was the railway’s role

• Wide range of freight, consignment sizes• Wagon load traffic, not train load• About 100-200,000 tonnes freight a year.• Many small stations where freight handled• Important commodities 1960s

– Livestock– Watties (in and out)– Meat (including Wairoa)– Indigenous logs (south of Wairoa)– Aggregate– Fruit– Oil products in– What is now courier traffic

Typical train then

• Individual wagon loads• Low capacity 4-wheel wagons• Livestock wagons• Open highside wagons• No containers• Steam locomotives• Short trains• Several trains/day on the line

Typical train then

Southbound near Muriwai in May 1964. Photo: NZRLS (R Merrifield).

Passengers

• Was a useful link in the past• Two daily railcar services each way• Local role, intermediate traffic

– now car, bus• Long distance role

– now car, bus, plane• Relationship with Wellington, not Auckland

– Even then, car/bus/plane to Auckland• Tourist trains

– Steam excursions– Regular tourist trains difficult financially

Tourist trains?

Beach Loop, April 1964. Photo NZRLS (R Merrifield).

Whole railway has changed

• Tourist trains for passengers• No livestock, courier, less than wagon load

traffic• Not much single wagon load either• Focus on train load or part train load• And movements by container• “On-line” traffic important• Fewer, longer, heavier trains

So has Gisborne’s economy

• Closures of major plants– Meat works– Watties

• Increased horticulture (wine)

• Increased logging

• Development of the port

• SH2 south has been markedly improved– Continuing improvements too

Railway retained for “wall of wood”

• Repeatedly reviewed for 40 years.• In 2001-3, study identified poor economics, but

some offsetting benefits. • Closure a distinct possibility then (Toll

ownership)• Some local funding, then Govt bought track• Wait for “wall of wood” – expected 2006 onward• But that has been late – and when it came, was

in the form of logs, too low value to transport long distances.

• Processed wood could contribute to rail traffic

Railway and Gisborne

• Have diverged

• More Auckland traffic (e.g. wine)

• More port traffic

• Fewer large plants to feed rail

Operating costs

• Impacted by scale• Rail a fixed cost business

– Low volumes, high unit cost– High volumes, lower unit cost – Track costs about $2m/year; – Five trains/week would cost overall about $4.5m

• Two person crewing because of poor communications• Crews based in Napier – return by car• Track in reasonable condition, but axle load lower than

main lines.• Significant increase in traffic levels would make

investment in reducing costs more feasible• Loco and wagon availability an issue

How the line might survive

• Needs volume• Hence the “anchor tenant” concept – a customer

that will have large volumes to transport south (or north).

• Volumes will drive frequency, bigger and more efficient trains

• Recent tunnel work has allowed 9ft 6in hi-cube containers

• Better frequency will attract other customers or more from existing ones.

What are the prospects?

• Forestry manufacturing plants– e.g.Hikurangi Forest Farms

• Logs from Wairoa, and local log shuttles• Overflow from port?

– Higher value items– But increased coastal shipping?

• More container traffic (tunnel improvements)– 12,500 TEU/year potential

• More fertiliser and other northbound traffic• Major new industry?

– Oil exploration?• Oil products supply to the district?• Aggregate? Lime? Wine? Meat? Grain? Milk?

Why do you want the railway?

• Very low use• So very little cost to the region if it was

withdrawn• Is it a future perspective? • Alternative to the port when full?• Need the railway for traffic growth?• View that railway is necessary for development?

– Relates to why railway built in the first place. – Not forgotten in collective memory?

Future

• Good convergence between idea that railway is needed to carry large quantities of future traffic; and the need of the railway to have that traffic to survive.

• But when will it come?– can’t wait forever.

• Needs local effort and will to ensure traffic for the railway

• Kiwirail doing its bit to attract freight• Options – grow or mothball