There are also hopes the return of the Southerner will help put Dunedin Railways’ trips "back on the map".
KiwiRail announced last week that its tourism division, Great Journeys New Zealand, would be bringing back the Southerner from May 17-20 next year, to retrace part of the rail route it travelled between Dunedin and Christchurch, running return trips.
The Southerner was an express passenger train that connected Christchurch and Invercargill via Dunedin from December 1970 until February 2002.
Save Our Trains Ōtepoti-Dunedin lobbies for the return of public passenger rail services.
Spokesman Dave Macpherson, of Dunedin, said while the newest Southerner was "only a tourist train" and did not target local residents needing regular and affordable public transport between regional centres, it nonetheless proved the journey was technically feasible and would open the door to further discussion.
It was "a good start and a foot in the door" towards the objective of regular passenger rail between the major South Island centres on the east coast.
"The South Island needs a reasonable public rail option to help connect its communities, and this KiwiRail proposal will help put that need in front of the public, as well as local and central government," Mr Macpherson said.
Dunedin Railways Ltd (DRL) general manager Rebekah Jenkins said DRL had partnered with Great Journeys to offer a package deal which would include its recently reopened five-hour return journey from Dunedin to Pukerangi through the Taieri Gorge.
Travelling from Christchurch, the Southerner would stop to let people off at Dunedin Railway Station.
They would stay for two nights in the city, with a train trip to Pukerangi included.
Mrs Jenkins said she had made contact with the tourism division "literally days before they launched it" to incorporate the Taieri Gorge railway into the Southerner’s four-day return.
The opportunity was "amazing for Dunedin Inc" and would celebrate the history of both railways.
It would also help to put DRL "back on the map" after being in hibernation for nearly five years.
"I think it will be a really popular one.
"There’s lots of foamers [railroad enthusiasts] in the woodwork hiding out there."
Owned by the Dunedin City Council, DRL was put into hibernation in 2020 when passenger numbers collapsed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company then began operating shorter excursions, including the Inlander to Hindon.
In mid-October, it welcomed the return of the Taieri Gorge railway.
Mrs Jenkins said the Southerner would bring people from Christchurch to the city who might otherwise not have travelled there.
Passengers from Timaru, Ashburton and Oamaru could potentially hitch a ride as well.
"Dunedin’s economy will definitely benefit from it."
The two separate railway services would complement each other and expose travellers to scenery only accessible by train, she said.
The Southerner had been a popular train journey back in the day and there had been a lot of people "screaming out" for a rail service between Dunedin and Christchurch.
"I think it’s going to be massive."
Trips aboard the Southerner retail from $249.
The train can seat up to 50 passengers per carriage, but it is unclear how many passengers it will bring to Dunedin over the four-day period.
Save Our Trains Ōtepoti-Dunedin launched a campaign to bring back a version of the Southerner in August last year, and wanted regional councils to fund a feasibility study.
In a social media post, the group said the four-day return of the Southerner would heighten interest and prove that passenger trains could run on the Dunedin-Christchurch route.
