29 Apr 2012

No decision on railway line future yet

5:32 am on 29 April 2012

KiwiRail says it will be at least another two weeks before it announces whether it will keep or close the Napier-Gisborne railway line.

The company is considering the long-term viability of the route, parts of which were washed out in March.

Chief executive Jim Quinn says more work needs to be done before a decision on the line's future can be announced.

It is estimated it will take five months and up to $4.3 million to fix.

The route, which has been losing more than $2 million per year, was already under review before the washouts.

Hawke's Bay regional transport committee plans to send a letter to the Government urging the repair and retention of the line.