A transport lobby group is concerned over KiwiRail's decision to mothball the rail line between Taranaki and the Waikato. Campaign for Better Transport spokesman Jon Reeves says it could be the thin end of the wedge, with more closures to come.
Mr Reeves says milk sourced from Fonterra farms in Taranaki and bound for Tauranga will now travel hundreds of kilometres further, via Marton, rather than directly from Stratford.
KiwiRail says repairing the line in the wake of a recent derailment, at a cost of $400,000, can not be justified, given that only one return train a day has been using the line.
But Mr Reeves says the reason the line is used so little is it has been let go and is in very poor condition.
