There has been a huge drop-off in people taking KiwiRail's TranzAlpine passenger service.
Figures show patronage on the daily service between Christchurch and the West Coast in the South Island was down about 30,000 in the first four months of this year compared with the same period a year earlier.
KiwiRail says the fall in passengers from 77,000 to 46,000 for the tourist attraction is a result of the Christchurch earthquakes.
Passenger general manager Deborah Hume says unfortunately, there is nothing KiwiRail could have done to avoid the situation and the company has not been laying off staff.
Ms Hume says KiwiRail is projecting it could be two years or more before patronage returns to 2010 levels and much longer if the quakes continue in Christchurch.
There has been a huge drop-off in people taking KiwiRail's TranzAlpine passenger service.
Figures show patronage on the daily service between Christchurch and the West Coast in the South Island was down about 30,000 in the first four months of this year compared with the same period a year earlier.
KiwiRail says the fall in passengers from 77,000 to 46,000 for the tourist attraction is a result of the Christchurch earthquakes.
Passenger general manager Deborah Hume says unfortunately, there is nothing KiwiRail could have done to avoid the situation and the company has not been laying off staff.
Ms Hume says KiwiRail is projecting it could be two years or more before patronage returns to 2010 levels and much longer if the quakes continue in Christchurch.
Impact felt on West Coast
Tourism West Coast Chairman Phillip Barnett says the passenger drop-off has been a blow to the Coast since the TranzAlpine train is one of the world's top ten train rides and is used by many people to get to the West Coast.
He says it represents a lot of room nights in a region where one in ten people work in the tourist industry.
However, he is optimistic patronage will not languish for as long as is predicted.
"When I look at case studies around the world with other disasters the bounce-back rate is a lot faster," he says.
Phillip Barnett says that, while waiting for the recovery, tourism operators on the West Coast will do what they have to do until TranzAlpine passenger numbers improve.
