 Various delays held up further progress, including obtaining records from the defunct New Zealand Midland Railway Company and deciding on the most suitable route, so it was not until November 1898 that trains could use the new extension and 1899 before the entire Belgrove – Motupiko section was handed over to the Railways Department for normal services.The first official train for Motupiko departed Nelson on 2 March 1899 carrying Railways Department officials who inspected the line along the way.After interested parties in the Tadmor Valley successfully prevailed upon the government to choose a longer route through their area rather than the shorter route over the Hope Saddle selected by the Midland Railway Company, work began on the section to Tadmor in July 1901.