Correction, 6 November 2026: an earlier version of this story described the Government's $3.4 million loan as funding a 12-month trial of the Mainlander train between Christchurch and Invercargill. The 12-month trial is a Canterbury commuter service between Rangiora, Rolleston and Christchurch. The loan also supports Mainland Rail in moving its existing Christchurch to Invercargill Mainlander service from monthly excursions to a regular timetable. The headline and story have been amended. We thank reader Wayne Drogemuller for pointing out the error.

Invercargill councillor Ria Bond, a long-time advocate for passenger rail to the south and a former New Zealand First MP, says the Government's pre-election rail loan leaves the region feeling as if it is being set up to fail.

Bond made the comments to RNZ on 2 November, a day after Rail Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced a $3.4 million loan from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to Mainland Rail. The loan funds a 12-month trial of commuter trains between Rangiora, Rolleston and Christchurch from mid-2027, and supports the company in shifting its existing Christchurch to Invercargill Mainlander from monthly excursions to a regular timetable.

The regular Mainlander would stop at Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin and Gore. RNZ reported that the commuter trial's budget is $1.7 million short, with councils expected to make up the shortfall, though it was not yet clear how many would be asked to contribute. So far Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri have sent letters of support. Mr Peters has described the long-distance service as a separate deal with Mainland Rail rather than part of the commuter trial.

Bond told RNZ the timing of the announcement, six days out from the election, was "disingenuous". She said the Government was holding out a carrot to councils at the same time as it was penalising them for what it called wasteful spending of ratepayers' money.

She also questioned the need for a trial at all, arguing that demand for public transport was already well established, and said a regular train would serve people who cannot drive or who are trying to avoid high petrol prices. She said she almost felt the region was being "set up to fail".

As well as her Invercargill seat, Bond is a member of the transport committee at Otago Regional Council. She spoke to Morning Report's John Campbell the same morning.

Her comments sharpen a split the Herald reported on Monday, when Mayor Tom Campbell said Invercargill ratepayers should not be asked to fund the service while the Government was instructing councils to hold rates down. Campbell said the loan had come as a surprise and remarked that one would almost think an election was coming. He said a 12-month trial was too short a horizon to justify ratepayer money, and that the service had to stand up commercially or not run at all.

The Southerner ran on the same line from 1970 until 2002, when falling passenger numbers ended the service. Campbell has said population growth in the cities since then gives a new service a better chance.

The Canterbury councils have not yet signed off on the commuter trial, and the Government has not said what fares passengers would pay on either service.

The Invercargill council has not yet been formally asked for a contribution. Any request would be weighed against the Long-term Plan budgets councillors are due to consider on 24 November.