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.

Sat 13th

• Hamilton Frankton markets ( morning)
• Hamilton Transport Centre & Hamilton CBD (morning)
• Ngaruawahia markets (morning)

Sun 14th

• Hamilton Farmers markets (morning)
• Street Parade central city 2pm

THE BIG CBT WAIKATO ACTION WEEKEND 20 / 21 March

Sat 20th

• Huge regatta Ngaruawahia (9am to 2pm)
• The Base shopping centre (9am – 4pm)
• Frankton Market (8am – noon)
• Tamahere Market (8am – noon)

Sun 21st

• Hamilton Farmers Market (8am – noon)
• Cultural Festival Hamilton Gardens (10am to 3pm)

Please email with dates and times you are free to collect signatures. Cars will be leaving Auckland to meet CBT Waikato members in the mornings, returning in the afternoons.

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

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.

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?

Palmerston Nroth MP Iain Lees-Galloway says the Capital Connection railway link has received a stay of execution.

However, KiwiRail is denying any firm commitments have been made about the service’s future.

 Submission on the Stratford to Okahukura Line.

A port operator has yet to be tapped on the shoulder, but TGH has had discussions with Transit New Zealand and KiwiRail, says chief executive Mike Pohio.

This is good news for Hamilton, and motorists in the Auckland / Waikato / Bay of Plenty regions. Inland ports, served by container trains, take numerous truck movements off the roads, decreasing the environmental impact of transport and extending the life of the road.

It seems the Transition Authority have recognised this, and the title has been changed to “Major Projects and PMO”. The explanation given is “Not all major projects will be roading, and the PMO will be an important part of this group.”  Hard to understand why this obvious shortcoming wasn’t spotted sooner!

The new organisational chart is below.  Click the image for a larger version.

The 143km rail link runs from Stratford to Okahukura, near Taumaruni and has been mothballed since the end of last year following a number of derailments. As a result, Fonterra milk products now travel 200km further between Taranaki and the Port of Tauranga.

Spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport, Cameron Pitches, says it is vital the link is reopened.

“It would be incredibly short-sighted to close it. This rail link is a the only alternative route between Auckland and Wellington for the main trunk line. If there is a washout or a volcanic event, rail freight between these two cities will be stuck,” said Mr Pitches.

“In the future there are large areas of logs to be felled close to the rail route and there are even coal deposits in the region.”

KiwiRail says it will need less than $15 million spent on upgrading the line over the next 3 years to have it up to full operational standards capable of carrying freight and tourist services.

“It’s an incredibly scenic, unspoilt part of the country,” said Mr. Pitches. “For a country that prides itself on tourism and a clean green image, it should be a no-brainer.”

“We also know from the experience of the Rotorua line closure that once a line is closed, it becomes exponentially more expensive to reopen due to deterioration and theft.”

“It is galling that tens of millions of dollars have been spent already on economically unviable projects such as the Puhoi to Wellsford highway, yet we struggle to maintain a basic rail network. Oil prices continue to be volatile – having a functioning rail network is an excellent hedge against future declines in oil supply.”

KiwiRail has insisted that closure of the line is not a foregone conclusion, and is taking submissions on the decision until this Friday. The Campaign for Better Transport is urging concerned members of the public to send submissions to Kevin Ramshaw at KiwiRail –