Joint media advisory

issued by

Get the Train

and

Taieri Gorge Railway

Rail groups who have made submissions on the Otago Regional Council's Draft Land Transport Strategy have noted that the Council staff preparing the report have not discussed rail's potential role in meeting the Region's transport needs.

The Otago Regional Council's draft dismisses rail in 28 words as "out of the scope" of the strategy. A search of similar regional strategies reveals, not surprisingly, that Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch regional governments all give a great deal of thought to rail's role in their metropolises.

The cover of Auckland's Regional Land Transport Strategy is dominated by a photo of a passenger train. The Otago draft has a photo of an empty road.

Get the Train spokesperson Ross Johnston points out that "Even the Environment Southland regional transport strategy devotes about half a page to rail's role and potential in their province. To be exact, 273 words to 28, about ten-to-one. It's embarrassing to have our southern cousins running rings around us in transport planning, like they do in netball."

The Southland strategy concludes Opportunities for the use of rail to transport goods should be facilitated where practical.

Get the Train will present their submission to the Otago Regional Council at 2pm on Tuesday 19 May, and will table the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Southland strategies.

Get the Train wants the Council to add a chapter to the Strategy giving an inventory of Otago's rail facilities and discussing their potential to assist in the Region's transport , environmental and social needs.

Grant Craig, operations manager of Taieri Gorge Railway says "Rail under the ORC comes second best or not at all! Rail throughout the world is seeing marked growth especially in passenger services and at least the ORC should have a policy at looking at rail as an alternative to road."

ENDS

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