Former Dunedin city councillor and present Otago Regional councillor Kate Wilson said the surrounding countryside would need a major clean-up.
She said the trip’s beloved rock formations were now obscured because willows had grown out of control while the train sat idle over the pandemic.
Last week, Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said city councillors decided the track between Wingatui and Middlemarch should be maintained, rather than "let go" and would begin exploring various options.
The decision was disclosed on Friday, after a closed-door discussion earlier in the week.
However, Cr Wilson said to bring the line up to scratch where it would be a viable venture for council to undertake, the surrounding environment would need to be maintained as well as the tracks.
"The maintenance of the view has not been well looked after with weed control," she said.
"It’s not a matter of just the functionality of the tracks.
"It’s how do you keep those beautiful gorges free of willows?
"How do you keep the gorse and the broom out?"
Cr Wilson said it was time for the city council to explore alternative tourism options surrounding the route, such as opening up the Dunedin tunnel and creating an integrated cycleway to connect the region.
"It would be the ultimate train experience.
"It would boost economic return if we trained them up to Hindon, and they biked back for a two-day experience.
"We really need a really good conversation about what that future looks like."
She said the overgrown environment surrounding the route could be maintained through the help of installing a walking or biking trail, so that locals and visitors could access the area on foot.
"It’s a long way from getting back to the track as I remember it.
"The quality of the track needs to be right up there."
Trains have, since 2021, run only as far as Hindon and maintenance on parts of the line have been either deferred or kept to limited levels.
Maintenance is the responsibility of council-owned Dunedin Railways but, even before the Covid pandemic, the company battled to keep on top of it and break even financially.
More is expected to be known about how Dunedin rail services might be run in the future when the council’s 2024-34 long-term plan is considered.
Last year, Otago Excursion Train Trust chairman Murray Schofield said $10 million across 10 years should be enough money for the Dunedin-Middlemarch line’s upkeep.
The trust wants to help restore services on the line between Dunedin and Middlemarch.
Cr Wilson said she would hate to see the train lost to Dunedin.
"I think it’s got a really good future.
"Everyone has to stop just calling it the Taieri Gorge train, and start thinking about how this can work for the whole of Dunedin.
"The main question now is, where can we go from here?"
