Restoring a long-distance passenger train service to Dunedin would mean a ''shot in the arm'' for the city, and help counter growing tourism competition from other centres.
''It's an incredibly exciting opportunity for the city,'' Otago Peninsula Trust marketing manager and former Dunedin City Council business development officer Sophie Barker said yesterday .
Her comments follow a report earlier this week KiwiRail was considering restoring the Christchurch-Dunedin train service.
It was ''absolutely'' a positive development, she said.
More than 280 people had added largely favourable comments on a possible rail link reopening on the Otago Daily Times Facebook page.
Ms Barker, who is also chairwoman of the Otago Chamber of Commerce tourism committee, said the strong public response also reflected the continuing popularity of train travel.
This was more than simply nostalgia from people who had fond memories of the Southerner service, before it was discontinued in 2002.
Restoring the train service would mean both ''compulsion and propulsion'' - an attractive new ''product'' for both international and domestic tourists heading for Dunedin, as well as an important way to bring more visitors south.
A KiwiRail spokesman confirmed this week the route was being considered while the Coastal Pacific service from Picton to Christchurch was out of action after the Kaikoura earthquakes damaged the main north line.
The spokesman said it had redeployed carriages from the Coastal Pacific to increase the number of seats available on the Tranz- Alpine and Northern Explorer services and was assessing other potential service options for the carriages.
That included between Dunedin and Christchurch, which could be used until the Coastal Pacific was fully operational again. However, no new service was likely until at least June next year, he said.
