Kiwirail has left the door ajar for a return of passenger services to the South.

The Southerner service between, Invercargill and Christchurch, ended in 2002 and the South Island was largely ignored in a recent parliamentary select committee inquiry into the future of inter-regional passenger rail.

The Otago Daily Times has now asked KiwiRail if the network being occupied by freight means there's no room for passenger rail in Otago.

KiwiRail says it is supportive of passenger rail, but any potential service would need to be led by local and regional councils