The director of the proposed $150 million Milford Dart Tunnel does not see the Queenstown-Te Anau monorail as a direct competitor in the push to be the main travel option between Queenstown and Milford Sound.
The Department of Conservation has received 61 submissions on the Milford Dart Tunnel and company director Tom Elworthy said such opposition was inevitable.
"We always expected that from a certain sector of the community."
The submissions followed some widespread criticism, particularly from the Te Anau community, over the impact to the tourist town from a shortened trip linking Routeburn Rd and Hollyford Rd.
Mr Elworthy said much of the criticism surrounding the tunnel journey was "a bit of a red herring" and "pretty immaterial".
"The tunnel trip itself is 10 minutes out of a two-hour trip. We don't want to rush people, but we really want to get people off a bus they are falling asleep on."
Surveys taken by tourism New Zealand showed visitor numbers to Milford Sound have been declining and Mr Elworthy said shortening the trip could be the answer.
"People are pushed for time - that is a fact of life." By shortening the trip, tourists would have more time to spend in Te Anau, he said.
Riverstone Holdings also sought consent from Doc for its proposed $250 million monorail last week and that project would most likely be a direct competitor to the tunnel.
Mr Elworthy said he did not see the monorail as a threat to the tunnel.
"It [the monorail] is an alternative means of getting there, but it doesn't save any time. Ultimately they both could potentially grow Milford."
He said although the tunnel had seen its opponents in the last month, feedback from the "wider industry" had so far been good.
After Doc submissions close on January 27 resource consent would be sought. If this process was successful Mr Elworthy expected construction to begin by 2013 and take 24 to 32 months.
The tunnel would be funded through domestic and international investors.
"A couple of parties have expressed interest in New Zealand.
"We don't see finance being the problem - that's not the hurdle."
