Dunedin Tunnels Trail Trust trustee Gerard Hyland said 168 people attended an open day at the long abandoned 462m Chain Hills railway tunnel, near Wingatui, yesterday.
The trust hopes the tunnel, which was opened in 1875 and was abandoned when the rail line changed location in 1914, will one day form part of a cycle trail linking Dunedin and the Taieri.
Mr Hyland said the interest yesterday showed such a cycle trail would be well-used.
If it did get off the ground, it would be a tourist attraction for the city.
The trust had hit a snag with the owners of the property at the Wingatui end of the tunnel deciding not to grant access, but the trust was exploring the option of raising money to buy the property.
‘‘We would buy the property, put the easement across and then on-sell the property.''Dunedin resident Brett Ashton said the fact the tunnel was ‘‘hidden'' made visiting it all the better.
The tunnel would definitely be well-used if it formed part of a cycle trail.
His wife, Ingrid Schweigman, said the tunnel was ‘‘beautiful'' and an ‘‘underdeveloped resource''.
