That will certainly be the hope of the Dunedin Heritage Light Rail Trust, whose members are working towards getting the High St cable car operation back on track.
The trust has been working towards its vision of reinstating the historic operation from the Exchange to Mornington, and tangible progress is finally being made — albeit only on a temporary facility.
The trust has just gained resource consent to build an interim building at the edge of Mornington Park, where the top of High St becomes Eglinton Rd, not far from the site of the original cable car terminus.
The temporary building will house three cable cars, leased at a nominal rate from the Tramway Historical Society in Christchurch. A small amount of track, donated by the society, will enable the cars to be pushed out for public viewing.
The building, while only temporary, will be an important symbol. It signifies progress, that the trust is serious in its mission, and provides something concrete for the public to engage with — and hopefully get behind in the form of donations.
The next step is to establish a larger permanent building, incorporating the terminus and museum.
Clearly, given the estimated price tag of $19million-plus for the whole venture, the trust faces an uphill battle. The project so far has cost about $60,000. The permanent building is expected to cost about $4million.
Four years ago the then Dunedin Cable Car Trust hoped to have a cable car back on the route by 2018.
Good things take time, however, and the trust should be commended for its vision and determination to get to this point.
It will be interesting to see the cable cars on display and would certainly be a sight to see them making their way up and down High St as they once did.
The trust believes the project could be one of the top tourist attractions in Dunedin.Could it perhaps emulate the success of the Taieri Gorge Railway (now Dunedin Railways), now a significant tourist drawcard?
It would be a wonderful link with the city’s proud past. Dunedin’s cable car system was established in 1881, the second in the world after San Francisco. The Roslyn line opened first, followed by Stuart St, then Mornington in 1883 — the steepest recorded tramline in the world.
Reinstating the cars could add real value to a heritage city — and be a novelty for locals and visitors alike.
The time seems right to advance such causes, given the energy, enthusiasm and money being put towards regeneration work in the Exchange and warehouse precinct.
What is required now is an intensive public fundraising campaign that demonstrates desire for the project. That could help elicit a favourable response from community funding organisations. The trust has said it does not want Dunedin City Council support, but if the venture starts to gather momentum, there could be ways the council could help. If it is expected to be a major tourist attraction, could a private investor be tempted? Or, indeed, a local philanthropist?
At the moment there are high hopes, indeed. The project needs far more than that to bring it to fruition, but it is not outside the realms of possibility that a significant part of the city’s history could repeat.
