The Campaign For Better Transport

Media Release from the Campaign For Better Transport

A petition calling for the introduction of a commuter rail service between Auckland and Hamilton has gathered nearly 8,000 signatures.

The Campaign for Better Transport wants to present the petition to Hamilton and regional politicians in two weeks time, however campaign organiser Jon Reeves describes the coming weekend as “a sprint to the finish.”

“People from all walks of life have signed the petition so far– business people, students, grandparents, retailers and tourists included,” says Mr. Reeves. “But we really want to demonstrate the strong public support for Waikato rail to Environment Waikato and central Government as emphatically as we can.”

Three quarters of those who have signed to date are from Hamilton and Waikato towns that would be served by a commuter rail service.

Volunteers will be collecting signatures at key Waikato events this weekend, including the Ngaruawahia Regatta and markets and festivals in the Hamilton area.

The cost of establishing a commuter rail service running three times a day between Hamilton and Auckland has been estimated at up to $1m. However, Mr Reeves says required subsidies will decrease over time.

“In comparison with the just announced $168.7m funding package for the Te Rapa section of the Waikato Expressway, the cost of establishing a commuter rail service is minimal and would be a good strategic hedge against rising petrol costs.”

“A rail service makes economic as well as environmental sense as obviously commuters won’t need to fund the ownership and operating costs of a vehicle, and they can make good use of their time with laptops and phones, or by simply relaxing and reading the paper.”

“For once Hamiltonians will have a guaranteed time of arrival into Auckland and be able to connect to the regular airport shuttle buses direct from Papatoetoe station,” concludes Mr Reeves.

The petition can be downloaded from here.

The Herald reports that:

Early community consultations are expected on route preferences for a new “road of national significance” costing up to $2 billion between Puhoi and the north of Wellsford.

That follows the Transport Agency’s awarding last week of a contract worth to $12 million for route investigation work on a proposed 38km link, entailing a four-lane extension of the Northern Gateway toll motorway to Warkworth and a dual-carriage expressway beyond that.

The investigation, by engineering and environmental specialists Sinclair Knight Mertz, is expected to take 15 months, but agency acting regional director Tommy Parker said he would be “disappointed if we are not talking about [route] options before about the middle of the year”.

 The Transport Agency fudges the poor economics of the project by saying:

…the figures were calculated by discounting the benefits at a standard 8 per cent each year after the road opens, a rate it sees as more appropriate to short-term projects.

It says if a 4 per cent discount rate could be used to reflect the longevity of the road, the economic returns could rise to $2 for every $1 spent.

I actually feel a bit for the NZTA here, basically being forced to justify a totally uneconomic project to satisfy the whims of the Minister of Transport.

Mike Lee pretty much hits the nail on the head with CCO’s and Auckland Transport:

According to the explanatory note to the third bill currently being deliberated by the select committee, the Super City was intended to “create one Auckland, which has strong regional governance, integrated decision making, greater community engagement and improved value for money”.

But what has become quite obvious is that Auckland isn’t getting this at all.

He bullet points the unacceptable features of Auckland Transport: Read the rest of this entry »

We need your help!

The CBT petition calling on the Govt. and its agencies to immediately fund Waikato commuter trains to Auckland will be presented to MP’s at the end of this month. We have over 6,000 signatures now ( 3,000 collected in just the past 2 weekends). There is huge support for these trains in the Waikato community, we just need to collect more signatures. It would be great if we can get 10,000!

Dowload the petition here.

If you can give just half a day for signature collection, we’ve got the locations for you! Details of how you can help below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »

Both TVNZ and the NZ Herald report that KiwiRail is under pressure to mothball the Napier – Gisborne line, and the northern portion of the Wairarapa line (Masterton – Woodville).

The first train in the New Lynn rail trench is scheduled to pass through on Monday March 1, 2010 at the 5:56am. Yes I’ll be on board!

Update: Article on the new station in today’s Western Leader – LJH

Danielle Williamson’s well informed article on the proposed Puhoi to Wellsford motorway concluded that, mainly for reasons of road safety, the 35km stretch of road should be divided into a “proper motorway”.

However, doing so would be extraordinarily costly and technically challenging. Just the first section alone, between Puhoi and Warkworth, will not be completed for at least nine years, even if it were tolled.

We need to objectively consider the best use of an apparent budget of $2.3bn, rather than adopt an all-or-nothing approach.

For instance, the worst of the accident black spots could be upgraded to a higher standard far sooner than nine years from now. A Warkworth bypass could be built, perhaps to an expressway standard. The rail line to Northland could be repaired so that it is once again capable of carrying freight in a timely manner, reducing the number of large trucks on SH1.

It would be prudent to at least consider these alternatives, especially considering the likelihood of higher petrol prices in the next few years.

The New Zealand Herald reports:

Householders face being transported to and from their homes in a shuttle vehicle as contractors widen North Shore’s busy Onewa Rd during a nine-month project starting today.

Why not catch a bus?