PORS supports railway village concept

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 386, 14 May 1991, Page 7

PORS supports railway village concept

The concept of re-cre-ating a unique 'railway village' in the Ohakune Junction area was discussed at last week's meeting of the local Preservation of Ohakune Railway Station (PORS) group. All members were in favour of this concept in order to preserve and restore something of Ohakune's early railway development which came with the building of the Main Trunk Line through the central North Island at the turn of the century. By creating an environment associated with the history of railway involvement in Ohakune, the PORS group believes the 'atmosphere' of this once-thriving settlement at the Junction can once again be captured and restored.

The PORS group believes that it is only by establishing a larger population base that allyear round business activity will return to the Ohakune Junction area. In each of these aims, members of the PORS group have been greatly encouraged by the positive response of the Railcorp and Railnet representatives who met with the group and Ruapehu District Council Mayor Garrick Workman in Ohakune earlier this month. Following an on-site inspection of the Junction area on 1 May to see what has already been achieved by PORS and to consider their requests, Mr Robert Linterman (Regional Saies Manager of Railcorp Properties in Wellington), Mr Jim Quinn (Property Saies Manager

of Railcorp properties in Wellington) and Mr Peter Ellery (Area Track and Structures Manager of Railnet in Palmerston North) agreed with the aims and objectives of PORS. They assured PORS that it would have their full co-operation in making available any advice, expertise and the use of some specialised railways equipment to enable the restoration/reconstruction objectives to be achieved.