samf wrote:Another random idea: if we might be renovating disused rail lines for cycleways, how about bike-friendly provision on national passenger rail? A lot of the closed branch lines will intersect with main lines still in use. Cyclists might rack their bikes up in a space on the train, head off to their seats or the restaurant carriage - then the train stops at the next bike track, you get off and ride, then join another train running the same route.

Perhaps you could sell tourists some kind of staged ticket to ride any train section once in the course of a trip, so that they could get off and ride any section that takes their fancy and then get the next train leaving the end of the line. Plus the bike space on the train would be available also to domestic travellers, students... whoever.

Crazy talk?

Sounds like a brilliant idea. Could do the Magic Bus-kind of ticket - get on/get off when you want, pay for a certain number of trips. The whole idea is sounding better and better.

Only problem is that there isn't that many disused branch lines, that are still held in public reserves. Those that were ripped up early on (pre 1950ish) tend to have been sold to adjoining land owners. The exception is probably where the line went through what was already Crown land. There's certainly a lot of more old ripped up lines in the SI (especially south of ChCh) than the in the NI. A number have also been acquired by railway Enthusiast Groups, and dare I say it the same ones that would be good for a cycle way. Opua, Glenfield, Glen Massey, Waihi, Waitara, Weka Pass, Taieri, Kingston.

Other ones of interest would be the famous uncompleted Nelson-Westport line, There was a line that went from Gisborne heading NW , was intended to get to Rotorua. Rotorua line to Taupo was surveyed (The land for the Taupo station was even aquired).

Then the other issue what lines have passenger services on them today.....Akl-Wgtn, Masterton -Wgtn Picton ChCh, ChCh - Greymouth I think is about it.

All that said there is still possibilities for usage, maybe the railway enthusiast groups might be keen on some extra revenue and infrastructure support. How about Queenstown, on the Earnslaw to Kingston, then on the steam train to Fairlight (14km) then down to Gore and on to Bluff.