KiwiRail are now transporting logs that were previously supplied by Earnslaw Forestry to the Winston Pulp mill for processing. These logs are destined for Napier Port and KiwiRail are doing this using the timetable they used for the pulp and timber train prior to the mills closure.

This is considered a sensible and pragmatic transport solution as the previous proposal to use trucks was not viable due to the condition and type of road that the Taihape toNapier “Gentle Annie” route was. TRAC believes that Rangitikei District Council Mayor Andy Watson expressed concern about expensive wear and tear on the road and others were concerned about road safety. Mike McCarthy, Managing Director of McCarthy’s Transport is in full support of the plan and is looking forward to getting started. McCarthy is working the Tangiwai rail yard working with Earnslaw, KiwiRail, Qube and Napier Port.

The nineteen wagon log trains will remove 21 loaded truck journeys and 600 tonnes of logs from the roads and Todd Dawson, CEO of Napier Port said this meant wins for everyone.

National Coordinator of The Advocacy Collective (TRAC) Niall Robertson, said that this was a big gain for rail as tonnage around the country has been low in recent times due to many factors, but now this might be a sign of more productivity in this space in the future. Robertson adds, “The rail system is generally underutilised, but in this case there was a clear understanding that expensive road bills, road congestion and road safety were considered in the final decision making process with a number of organisations involved. Now, TRAC suggests that the government applies the same principles to the line to Wairoa and allow KiwiRail to fix the Cyclone Gabrielle damage and so KiwiRail can get back to railing logs from Wairoa and getting the logging trucks off the challenged SH2 route.

TRAC chair, Guy Wellwood said that he finds it very refreshing that this decision was made in this instance and hoped that these logs might one day be converted back into finished product, but in the meantime hauling logs by rail is still a great win for the wider districts and offers congratulations to all parties involved.

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