Some Greymouth businesses are operating at a 50 percent loss after a massive slip has blocked the main road in.
The historically active slip slumped more than 5m after heavy rain 10 days ago.
The slip at Omoto is blocking a section of State Highway 7 - the main road into Greymouth.
- Landslide closes State Highway 7 near Greymouth
- Massive landslip closes State Highway 4
- Road to Fox Glacier closed indefinitely due to landslide
Grey District Mayor Tania Gibson told Newshub it's having a huge impact.
It's also blocking the Tranzalpine forcing passengers to bus instead. The bus is travelling on an alternative route from Arthurs Pass through to Greymouth.
The added cost of these buses?
General manager of operations at KiwiRail Jeanine Benson told Newshub she didn't know, but locals said there had been a dip in ticket sales.
Benson did concede that passenger numbers were low, but she said they are expected to pick up.
"Passenger numbers are just a little bit weak generally, but we expect to see the passenger numbers come back particularly heading into this season."
If they don't pick up, local businesses fear the consequences could be dire.
Local business owner Taren Sang told Newshub they've had a big drop in sales.
"We have been really quiet, almost 50 percent lower, we are getting no traffic in the morning. Normally we get a lot of the meat workers and factory workers, but we are getting none of them now."
Gibson said shop owners are worried about how they're going to survive.
"The Government is telling us that we need to rely on tourism. How are we going to survive when they're telling us that we need to survive on tourism, but tourists can't access the area."
With rail freight out of the question, the alternative route through Taylorville is taking a hit from the increased traffic.
Gibson said over 40 trucks turn around every day because they haven't got rail. Kiwirail is working with NZTA on several long-term options - one of them a bridge.
Right now, water is being drained in an attempt to stabilise the slip.
West Coast regional councillor Allan Birchfield said the response hasn't been urgent enough.
"There doesn't seem to be any urgency to get it fixed, but it is becoming very urgent because the back road is failing and we need to get this done."
Benson said they're committed to the area and to fixing the situation.
"We are committed to bringing the Tranzalpine back to Greymouth and bringing freight back."
Kiwirail hopes it and NZTA can have a short-term solution sorted by Christmas. An update on that is expected in two weeks' time.
Newshub.
