Save Our Trains Media Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 May 2023 Save Our Trains Campaign says the budget offers glimmers of hope for some regions but leaves most of New Zealand stranded when it comes to passenger rail. Save Our Trains Spokesperson Suraya Sidhu Singh says “the climate crisis requires politicians of all stripes to exercise leadership. More must be done to deliver real transport choice to New Zealanders.” She said 18 new hybrid trains confirmed for the Lower North Island and funding for a business case into electrifying the Golden Triangle and North Island Main Trunk line should be celebrated. They will connect people, reduce carbon emissions, and help support planned population growth. However, the funding for these business cases will only hit their full amount in 2026. "With work already underway electrifying Papakura to Pukekohe it makes sense to bring funding forward to make the most of the existing workforce. We're already feeling the extreme weather events of the climate crisis – we cannot afford to delay sustainable transport options any longer." In addition, the electrification business cases must look beyond freight and explicitly explore opportunities for increased, affordable passenger rail along the Main Trunk line and between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. Save Our Trains Spokesperson Lindsey Horne says the Golden Triangle of Auckland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty, where 40% of Aotearoa's population lives, is an obvious choice for enabling passenger services. "Funding a business case into electrifying the Auckland to Tauranga route is a start, but it’s a long way from a study to having trains on tracks. If we are serious about reducing carbon emissions we need action and we need it now. We can't have our climate policy looking like smoke and mirrors. We need to give people real transport choices.” While investment in passenger rail announced in the budget will help people in some regions, support for public transport in other regions is noticeably absent. "Little is being done to connect other cities and encourage mode shift in the regions" says Ms Singh of Taranaki. The Save Our Trains campaign was founded in late January 2022 by members of the public concerned about threats to passenger rail services throughout New Zealand. ENDS Media contacts: Suraya Sidhu Singh; Mobile 021 102 4173 Lindsey Horne; Mobile 027 427 3934 info@allrailways.co.nz
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By Darren Davis and Malcolm McCracken This weekend saw some great news with the announcement of central government funding to support the purchase of new fleet of 18 hybrid trains to replace the ageing and life-expired lower North Island rolling stock. This will enable, for the first time in many decades, better connectivity by public transport between the Manawatū, Horowhenua, northern Kāpiti, the Wairarapa and Wellington. This includes service outside of traditional commuter peaks and will add new weekend service to Palmerston North and improve weekend service on the Wairarapa Line. This will deliver the first tender shoots of what regional rail could provide in terms of low-carbon, inclusive access for the lower North Island and in fact for all of Aotearoa. In Australia, the state of Victoria has demonstrated this through sustained and ongoing investment in regional rail from the turn of this century. Just prior to the pandemic, regional trains (and connecting coaches) carried 22.4 million passengers a year through a connective state-wide network of trains and coaches. It has to be acknowledged that this achievement didn’t come cheap to Victoria because they too had to invest heavily to recover from decades of under-investment and neglect in their rail network. But with a two-decade head start on Aotearoa, they have built, and continuously improve, a regional rail and public transport network that strongly supports Melbourne as the state capital and strong regional cities that are well connected to Melbourne. For Aotearoa to embark on the next stage of a rail revival journey requires building on the great initial step of investing in new regional rail rolling stock for the Lower North Island. To support the investment in rolling stock, we need to see how KiwiRail, the government and regional authorities plan to deliver on the Wellington Rail Programme Business Case, which provides a rail development pathway for the Hutt Valley and Kāpiti lines that supports urban, regional, long-distance and freight rail development in the Lower North Island. Following the Lower North Island, the obvious next place to look is the Upper North Island. Half of the population of Aotearoa lives north of Taupō and the four Upper North Island regions are projected to have two-thirds of Aotearoa’s population growth in the coming decades. The vast majority of that population and growth is in the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. Opportunities have already been missed to provide fast-growing communities in the North Waikato with access to existing and future rail services. For example in 2005, Pōkeno had a population of just 500. By 2021, that number had increased by 341% to 5,545 with growth continuing unabated. According to 2018 Census data, 666 Pōkeno residents commuted to work in Auckland, a number that has likely significantly increased since then. At present, the first bus from Pōkeno at 6:10am would get you to Britomart Station in Downtown Auckland at 8:46am by connecting to another bus at Pukekohe which connects to the train at Papakura, while Google Maps estimates a car travel time of up to 2 hours and 10 minutes, which is not much better. The Te Huia Hamilton to Auckland train passes through but does not stop in Pōkeno. But if it did, it would take well over an hour off the current public transport travel time. Similarly, Te Kauwhata’s current population of 2,760 is projected to triple over the next eight years with 1,600 new homes being developed by Winton and Kāinga Ora . This significant residential population increase is not accompanied by a commensurate increase in nearby employment meaning that most residents are required to commute to areas with substantial employment, such as South Auckland and Hamilton. Currently, Te Kauwhata has just two weekday bus services to Hamilton, taking just under an hour and a half and a single weekday bus service to Pukekohe, taking an hour. Te Huia, if it stopped, would take around an hour and a quarter to Puhinui and 40 minutes to Rotokauri Station in Te Rapa, Hamilton. While growth is more muted in Tūākau, there is strong support there for the town to be once again served by rail. Tūākau has a population of 5,890 with a higher-than-average growth rate which could see the population almost double by 2031. At the 2018 Census, 1,113 people left Tūākau for work with the vast majority going to Auckland. Ngāruawāhia also presents a good opportunity for a revived station location as one platform still exists at the former station site. The town is the kick-off point for the Te Awa cycleway to Hamilton, Cambridge and beyond and is a key site for Waikato Tainui with the Turangawaewae Marae, Kingitanga Reserve, Turangawaewae House and the Puke-i-aahua Pā site. As is typical in Aotearoa, these towns have been developed with the usual car-based infrastructure in place as a matter of course but with lagging and very limited public transport provision. But all were railway towns back in the day and in their heyday, there were over 36,000 rail trips a year from Tūākau, 16,000 rail trips a year from Te Kauwhata and 19,000 rail trips a year from Pōkeno. While there is no trace of the former Pōkeno Railway Station, concept work has been carried out by Waikato District Council about a potential station site and in Te Kauwhata, the station platform and pedestrian access still exists, albeit in a rather rundown state; the Tūākau Station island platform still exists as does one platform at Ngāruawāhia Station. While the Te Huia Hamilton to Auckland train had its second-best month ever in March 2023, carrying 7,120 passengers, the fact that its last boarding stop is in Huntly, ninety-three kilometres from Auckland and that it does not pick up passengers anywhere in the Auckland commuter belt, means that it is not achieving its full potential. There is clearly a substantial existing and potential market of residents for this service in each of these communities which are a long way from employment. Serving them would make best use of the committed investment in Te Huia as well as providing sustainable transport choice to fast-growing communities in the North Waikato. We understand there is initial work underway investigating the potential for stations in all three towns. In all of this, it has to be remembered that the only way for Te Huia to recover its sunk cost in infrastructure is to make use of it to carry people. Having additional station stops on the route where there is considerable population growth would be a good start. Similarly to the existing rolling stock in the Lower North Island, Te Huia makes use of recycled 1970s Mark II carriages from the United Kingdom, previously recycled by Auckland as interim rolling stock until Auckland electrified its rail network in 2014-2015. As such, the current rolling stock is both close to the end of its latest and final life extension and, like the now resolved situation with the Lower North Island rolling stock, needs a sustainable long-term solution that is fit for purpose for a 21st century regional rail operation. The Lower North Island rolling stock solution provides a template that could be expanded to provide a sustainable long-term solution for securing the long-term future for Te Huia. The extent of electrification in both Auckland and Wellington ends of the North Island Main Trunk Line is nearly identical at 56 kilometres (once Papakura to Pukekohe electrification is completed) and the extent of running on battery power is around 80 kilometres in both cases. And of course, if the electrification gap between Pukekohe and Te Rapa, in north Hamilton, were plugged, then the battery or diesel functionality would support extending the service to Tauranga or elsewhere. An obvious consideration are the different forms of electrification between the legacy Wellington DC powered suburban network, largely developed from 1938 to 1955 and extended since in stages from Paekākāriki to Waikanae, and the more modern AC electrification of the Hamilton to Palmerston North section of the North Island Main Trunk Line and Auckland metro network. While this is a consideration, there are technologies that enable running on both AC & DC power. An example of this are the French regional trains that run from Marseille along the Côte d'Azur towards Monaco and Italy which run on DC power in Marseille and AC power elsewhere. So, while it is great to finally see an enduring and sustainable rolling stock solution for the Lower North Island, there are real potential synergies here with creating a regional rail template that can be applied to connecting the Golden Triangle of the Upper North Island. And while this longer-term solution is being sought, there are real opportunities to make best use of the existing investment in Te Huia but adding station stops in fast growing communities in the North Waikato. This would be a first step in building on the committed investment in Lower North Island rolling stock to start moving Aotearoa towards the sort of connective rail network, supported by feeder bus services, in the state of Victoria that carry over twenty million trips a year. So what we are calling for is:
It’s one month until Budget Day 2023. Read on to hear the critical need for rail investment in the Lower North Island. By Darren Davis & Malcolm McCracken This is a sad story of how we still ‘plan’ for growth in Aotearoa. We do so without providing people living in new and growing communities with real transport choice. Even when public transport solutions are available with high benefits, we tend to double down on big roads which make existing issues worse. This makes it nearly impossible for Aotearoa to achieve a zero-carbon future with genuine, inclusive transport choice. The first part of the tragedy is growth without transport choice. The second part is that even when good transport choices with high benefits are on the table, the choice is to double-down on roading investment and spend the bare minimum on public transport. The most clear and present example of this Transport Land Use Disintegration is taking place here and now in the Lower North Island where significant growth is taking place in Kāpiti, Horowhenua and the Wairarapa. For example, Horowhenua District Council’s updated growth strategy in 2022 plans for an additional 26,008 additional people by 2040 – a projected 71% increase. Kāpiti District, part of which is beyond the Wellington urban rail network, is projected to increase by 32,000 people over the next 30 years. Wairarapa is also growing, partly due to lifestyle reasons and partly driven by housing affordability challenges in Wellington. For example, medium growth projections indicate that Masterton district’s population will grow from 27,500 in 2020 to 30,549 (+11.1%) by 2031. At the same, the single commuter train from the Manawatū, Horowhenua and northern Kāpiti is at capacity as are the three peak-direction commuter trains from the Wairarapa. Put simply, there is a lot of growth coming, and there is no public transport capacity available for more people to use the train now, let alone any ability to accommodate population growth on public transport. The second part of the tragedy is about doubling-down on high-cost, low-benefit roading investments when robust public transport business cases that provide effective, affordable solutions with high benefits are ignored. At least $4 billion is being invested in roading in the Wellington Northern Corridor which serves Kāpiti and Horowhenua. $2.325 billion of this is for already-opened sections of expressway and motorway from Transmission Gully through to Ōtaki and $1.5 billion is budgeted for Ōtaki to North of Levin. Waka Kotahi is also due to pay $125 million a year for the next 30 years under the terms of the Transmission Gully Public Private Partnership. This takes the total roading investment in the Wellington Northern Corridor to over $7 billion. All this investment doubles down on car dependency and a high carbon future, often just to get commuters and holidaymakers to the back of the traffic jam faster. At the same time, the once daily Capital Connection commuter train from Palmerston North to Wellington is on life support and being patched up with refurbished rolling stock from the 1970s to keep it limping along for a few more years. The Wairarapa Line trains are out of capacity and also in urgent need of an upgrade. The contrast could not be starker along State Highway 1. The gold-plated expressway, 100% funded by central government, at times parallels a single-track rail corridor with a solitary weekday peak-direction commuter train and the three times a week tourist-oriented Northern Explorer service. In the wake of recent extreme weather events, we often talk about the need for resilience and redundancy in our transport networks, but in reality, this only seems to apply to roads. For example, the Transmission Gully expressway was specifically designed to provide an alternative to the vulnerable Centennial Highway, wedged between the Paekākāriki Escarpment and the Tasman Sea. But the rail line parallel to Centennial Highway still clings precipitously to the escarpment on its steep, slow, single-track descent from Pukerua Bay into Paekākāriki and is subject to regular disruption from increasingly frequent extreme weather events. While car capacity has doubled with Transmission Gully, rail capacity remains severely constrained to serve the fast-growing Kāpiti and Horowhenua districts by the section of single track between North and South Junctions. This also severely impacts on the ability of the Wellington urban rail network to meet growth in the parts of Kāpiti on the Wellington urban network. While the interim Capital Connection rolling stock, made up of refurbished 1970s Mark II carriages from the UK, will buy a few years’ reprieve, the opportunity cost of this is that it puts off, but doesn’t replace the need for a robust long-term solution to regional rail rolling stock that would provide a template for regional rail networks across Aotearoa. What makes this situation worse is that there is a robust business case on the table with high benefits which provide a compelling case for passenger rail solutions for the Lower North Island. This is the 2019 Lower North Island Longer-Distance Rolling Stock Business Case. Lower North Island Longer-Distance Rolling Stock Business Case This business case was completed at the end of 2019 and made a compelling case for the existing Wairarapa Line and Capital Connection rolling stock to be replaced within the limited lifespan of the current fleet by 2025. It proposed its replacement with 15 four-carriage dual mode trains able to run on electricity within the Wellington electrified network. It noted that both the Capital Connection and peak Wairarapa Line trains were at capacity and urgently required additional services, as well as new or much improved non-peak services and a doubling of weekend services on the Wairarapa Line and new weekend service on the Manawatū Line. The business case had a benefit cost ratio of 1.5 to 3.1, compared to the very low benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 0.22-0.37 for Ōtaki to North of Levin Expressway, originally estimated to cost $817 million. At its new cost of $1.5 billion, this BCR will most likely have slipped further. Construction cost inflation means that the Ōtaki to North of Levin Expressway project is once again being rescoped to fit within budget.
The benefit of the recommended investment is not limited to regional rail. The infrastructure investment would benefit freight and Kiwirail Great Journeys train services, without those services picking up any of the cost. The business case did include significant investment in Wairarapa Line infrastructure to enable more frequent service. However, much of this investment is now underway as part of a separate Wairarapa Line upgrade programme, which means that the benefit of the new rolling stock is even higher, given that much of the infrastructure cost is already covered. In an irony, that is frequently repeated in New Zealand public transport planning, the Wairarapa Line infrastructure improvements enable, but don’t provide for, improved rail services to use the improved infrastructure. If a future decision were taken for electrification of the Manawatū or Wairarapa lines, investment in dual mode sets is not a sunk cost as it would enable those services to be extended further beyond any future electrification, for example to Whanganui. Despite this compelling case for investment, the 2022 budget bid for this rolling stock was refused while investment continued in the Ōtaki to North of Levin expressway, whose costs vastly exceed its benefits, continued. The failure of this bid took everyone, most particularly the Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils, by surprise, given its high benefits, support for transport choice in growth areas and its role as effective climate change action. The two regional councils have resubmitted the proposal in the 2023 budget, to be made public on 18th May. Instead, Government decided to implement an interim solution for the ageing Capital Connection fleet with the refurbishment of 1970s era ex- British Rail Mark 11 carriages which have been quietly rusting in Taumarunui since Auckland electrified its rail network in 2015, making these carriages redundant. While this may provide a stop gap solution for the Capital Connection trains for a few years, it means that a more extensive refurbishment of the existing Wairarapa Line rolling stock will be required to enable them to operate until 2032. This would be avoided if they are replaced by the bi-mode trains proposed in this business case as well as making much earlier use of the much-higher service frequency enabled by the already committed Wairarapa Line infrastructure investment. It also kicks for touch the urgently needed longer-term regional rail rolling stock solution, which could provide a template for similar regional rail solutions in the Upper North Island and Canterbury. Given that there is at least a four-year time frame from funding commitment to new rolling stock being in operation, a decision is required now in order to have the new rolling stock running for 2028. Put simply, our ask is that:
While the current impetus is on addressing the Lower North Island rolling stock, the story we share today is not unique in New Zealand. In Waikato, Kāinga Ora is supporting the development of 1,650 new homes in Te Kauwhata, which the Te Huia Hamilton to Auckland service runs through twice in each direction each weekday without stopping, even though the former station platform still exists. In Canterbury, there is huge growth in the Selwyn and Waimakariri districts which have rail lines running through them but no urban services to provide transport choice. Similarly, the majority of the well-advertised $98.03 million cost of Te Huia is capital ($68.7 million) and $29.3m is operational costs (includes mobilisation costs of $2.19m). This infrastructure investment is a sunk cost, which we should seek to make the most of by funding improved frequency. Yet in 2021, Waka Kotahi refused to use already allocated funds for Te Huia on a third return service on weekdays. So, if you believe that passenger rail has a crucial role to play in securing sustainable, inclusive, carbon-friendly mobility for Aotearoa, the time to act is now. A passenger train service connecting Hamilton and Tauranga is in the works after local community initiatives joined forces to come up with a concrete plan - which even made waves in Parliament. Read more at NZ Herald.
Save Our Trains Campaign says the launch of an inquiry into the future of inter-regional passenger rail in New Zealand by the Transport and Infrastructure Committee offers a chance to reset decades of decline in our rail system.
Save Our Trains spokesperson, Dr Paul Callister, says “Inter regional passenger rail services have been run into the ground through decades of deliberate decline and bias towards road and air transport. This inquiry offers an eleventh-hour chance to reverse the decline of our rail network and replace our rusting rolling stock.” Dr Callister says ongoing issues with the ageing and increasingly unreliable Wellington to Palmerston North Capital Connection and near termination of the Auckland to Wellington Northern Explorer passenger service are recent “real life examples” of our failure to develop a rail network to meet the needs of New Zealand’s future. The Budget in May 2022 omitted funding for a fleet of hybrid electric trains in the lower North Island, proposed by regional councils. KiwiRail suspended long-distance passenger services in 2021, later reversing that decision in 2022 following a public campaign to save our trains. Reinstated services were accompanied by significant fare increases. It is no longer a service New Zealand families can afford. Save Our Trains spokesperson, Suraya Sidhu Singh, said “most New Zealanders live in regions that are poorly served by public transport, yet with investment our existing rail network could connect millions of people. There is an opportunity to invest in rail to connect our regional communities and impact climate change goals.” Suraya Sidhu Singh says this inquiry offers an opportunity for various agencies to better align transport, climate, and economic development policies and have real impact for future generations of passengers. The Save Our Trains campaign was started in late January by concerned members of the public focused on maintaining and developing passenger rail services. Media Contacts: Victor Billot victor@allrailways.co.nz 022 479 1786 MEDIA STATEMENT Save Our Trains Campaign says unless services improve on the Capital Connection, then passengers will be driven away from using it. Save Our Trains spokesperson Dr Paul Callister is a regular user of the Capital Connection commuter service that runs up the Kāpiti Coast from Wellington and travels on to Palmerston North. He says there have been multiple cancellations of services recently, often due to mechanical faults, most recently on 20 and 21 June. Passengers travelling to and from Shannon, Levin, Otaki and Palmerston North were provided with a bus replacement, but there was no option for Paraparaumu and Waikanae passengers who were simply advised to find “alternative transport.” Dr Callister says this is a “real life example” of the problems resulting from the failure of the Budget in May 2022 to contribute funding for a fleet of hybrid electric trains in the lower North Island. Local government had called for this funding as part of the Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) project, which would deliver critical passenger transport services to replace ageing locomotives and rolling stock. Dr Callister says the service had the potential to be a growing and vital rail connection. He says there was a disconnect between the Government’s worthy climate goals to reduce emissions, and the on the ground approach to building passenger rail capacity that was a central part of reducing emissions. The Save Our Trains campaign was started in late January by concerned members of the public focused on maintaining and developing passenger rail services. Media Contacts: 022 154 9119 info@allrailways.co.nz Capital Connection missed out on a funding boost at the latest Budget, yet it is popular with commuters and offers a solution to limiting climate change. "We can't continue on business as usual and hope that [climate change] goes away, or hope that it's not as bad as everyone's saying. We actually have to do something, and this is one step - you know - actually fund the infrastructure that we need and stop funding the infrastructure that we don't need," says Horizons Regional Chair Rachel Keedwell. Full story: https://bit.ly/lf1375
Save Our Trains Campaign says return of key passenger services a major win for travelling public, and the first stop on the journey to rebuild passenger rail throughout New Zealand.
KiwiRail announced today the Northern Explorer (Auckland–Wellington) and Coastal Pacific (Picton–Christchurch) services will return to the tracks in September 2022, will take domestic point-to-point passengers, and will run to their pre-2021 schedules. Save Our Trains spokesperson Dr Paul Callister says the first goal of our #SaveOurTrains campaign has been achieved – maintaining existing inter-city passenger rail services. He thanked the many New Zealanders who had signed the Save Our Trains petition and supported the campaign. Dr Callister says the campaign will be approaching KiwiRail for more information about the accessibility and affordability of the restored services to passengers. “It is important that fares are aimed at a price point affordable to everyday New Zealanders, and this is used as an opportunity to ensure access for those living in the regional communities.” Dr Callister says today is a celebration, but there is a lot to do long term. “The next step is to develop our public transport services. That requires the Government to take a leadership role in planning for an integrated public transport network across New Zealand, taking into account accessibility, climate action, and regional development.” The Save Our Trains campaign was started in late January by concerned members of the public after KiwiRail’s announcement in December 2021 it was removing same day scheduled passenger services throughout New Zealand. Over 8000 people have signed the Save Our Trains petition. The petition to Save Our National Passenger Rail Network reads: We call on the Government and KiwiRail to commit to maintaining existing intercity passenger rail services. Furthermore, we ask for a comprehensive national strategy for future passenger rail services built around concern for climate action and economic development. The petition to Save Our National Passenger Rail Network can be found at: https://our.actionstation.org.nz/p/saveourtrains Media Contacts: Victor Billot victor@allrailways.co.nz 022 479 1786 Patrick Rooney patrick@allrailways.co.nz 022 154 9119 RNZ Morning Report says that our campaign demanding a reliable train service between the regions is gaining steam. They say the Climate Change Commission has called for more public transport as the country grapples with the urgent need to reduce emissions, but after decades of decline, long distance commuter trains are in a precarious state.
Listen to interview at: Campaign to bolster inter-regional train services gains steam | RNZ |
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