Capital Connection Under Threat

[param1974]

Capitial Connection running at a loss

Fares for the Capital Connection will increase from 1 November. “KiwiRail is committed to continuing the Capital Connection, but we are currently operating the service at a loss. There is no subsidy for operating the service and while we were hopeful it would remain commercially viable after the extension of the Kapiti line to Waikanae and introduction of Matangi to the line, we are now seeing a worrying trend,” says KiwiRail’s General Manager Passenger Dr Deborah Hume.

The fare increase is the first step in lifting the viability of the service, which also needs support from more passengers and/or a grant from another source to bridge the gap in revenue.

The fare increase for the Capital Connection service is in line with the 5 percent fare increase for Tranz Metro service’s multi-trip and monthly fares which is also taking effect on 1 November.

The fare increases range between 0 percent and 8.7 percent, and the net average increase is 4 percent.

“The changes in fares coincide with a recently conducted onboard survey which indicated a genuine appetite for a premium commuter service from Palmerston North, Waikanae and Paraparaumu, as well as the desire for the introduction of a quarterly pass.

“As a result, KiwiRail is introducing a quarterly pass in January 2012 as part of the changes to the service and is looking at other ways to grow patronage.

“The focus of this year’s fare increase is on monthly trip and the new quarterly trip tickets, which provides a further discount over a monthly pass.

“Most Capital Connection trips are made with multi-trip tickets or monthly passes. These fares will increase generally by about five percent, with higher increases for the less purchased single trips,” Dr Hume says.

While there will be a 5 percent increase for monthly passes from Palmerston North, Levin and Otaki, there is no increase in monthly passes for people getting on the Capital Connection at Waikanae or Paraparaumu.

“Continued support and additional growth from passengers boarding the Capital Connection at Waikanae and Paraparaumu, in particular, is extremely important. Without this support the commercial viability of the entire service becomes very challenging. We have had to ensure that Capital Connection monthly fares from Waikanae and Paraparaumu remain competitive with Metro fares from these stations,” says Dr Hume.

Additionally, KiwiRail is looking at ways to grow patronage for the Capital Connection service, including adding Porirua as a stop with minimal impact on arrival times into Wellington or into Paraparaumu, to test the market that lives on the Coast and travels to Porirua. This will be introduced to the service on a trial basis in the New Year.

“KiwiRail is committed to continuing the Capital Connection, but we need it to be commercially viable, and that requires decent passenger numbers and fares that reflect the true cost of running the train and the level of service provided,” Dr Hume says.
For more information about the fare changes please go to the Tranz Scenic website www.tranzscenic.co.nz

Notes to reporter:
As a premium commuter service, the Capital Connection provides spacious seating, tables and power points for laptops to allow people to work, toilets, a fully licensed café and dedicated Train Managers who only work on the Capital Connection service.

http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=39458

[scooter]

There is a fare increase across the board of the Metlink services as well. If it has to be done then its probably an opportune time to do so.

[robincole]

Assuming that Wairarapa Trains are subsidised, the Capital Connection should get some sort of subsidy.Masterton and Levin are a similar distance from Wellington, they're both comuter trains.

[ptownboi]

Assuming that Wairarapa Trains are subsidised, the Capital Connection should get some sort of subsidy.Masterton and Levin are a similar distance from Wellington, they're both comuter trains.

The Wairarapa Connection is subsidised because it is part of the Metlink network funded by Greater Wellington (hence Wellington Region Ratepayers). The train runs completely within the confines of the Wellington region.

The Capital connection is a Tranz Scenic service, and is not part of the Metlink network. It runs within the Wellington and Manawatu regions.
I suppose some agreement could be reached between the Horizons Regional Council and GW to share the costs of a subsidy, but I doubt that's gonna happen!

[Daniel]

Assuming that Wairarapa Trains are subsidised, the Capital Connection should get some sort of subsidy.Masterton and Levin are a similar distance from Wellington, they're both comuter trains.

Well that's up to the regional councils to agree on, and there's been no talk of that.

[Rail-it]

Assuming that Wairarapa Trains are subsidised, the Capital Connection should get some sort of subsidy.Masterton and Levin are a similar distance from Wellington, they're both comuter trains.

Well that's up to the regional councils to agree on, and there's been no talk of that.

Same problem with proposed Waikato connection isn't it? inter regional councils...

[eurokiwi78]

Cancellation of the service might cause people to start asking for the wires to be extended from Waikanae to Otaki. Although where does a suburban service become a regional service. And how far before a greater level of comfort is required, ie toilets.

[keg]

Cancellation of the service might cause people to start asking for the wires to be extended from Waikanae to Otaki. Although where does a suburban service become a regional service. And how far before a greater level of comfort is required, ie toilets.

Anything much over an hour. Otaki would be a stretch for suburban stock but could be possible.

Rough estimate would be ~10min for Waikanae - Otaki with a unit (based on knocking a couple of minutes off the CC time due to better acceleration, shorter station dwell, etc). That would give 1hr6 express & 1hr10 all stations based on existing timings. Might be able to cut a few more minutes by exclusively using Matangis up the coast and taking advantage of their improved performance over the Ganz.

An option I'd like to see considered, should the current format not be viable, is down sizing and using railcars with a emphasis on patronage beyond the electrified network. Could make it cheaper to trial additional stops. For example reinstating the old Queen Street (Levin) stop which is much better located than the main station (at its most basic, reseal, shelter, signage). Te Horo could be another possibility. Also look at whether to have just one service each way or two (one earlier and one later in the peaks), various shuttle options ...

[param1974]

Cancellation of the service might cause people to start asking for the wires to be extended from Waikanae to Otaki. Although where does a suburban service become a regional service. And how far before a greater level of comfort is required, ie toilets.

LOL wellington to waikanae is already pushing it on a friday evening after a couple of beers..

[duddley]

Why not just use the Ferns on the Capital Connection which will probably be cheaper to operate, this would leave the Ferns still available for the weekend excursions through the gorge etc

[keg]

Why not just use the Ferns on the Capital Connection which will probably be cheaper to operate, this would leave the Ferns still available for the weekend excursions through the gorge etc

Yep, those were the sort of railcars I had in mind ...

[robincole]

Yes I thought the Wairarapa was a region in it's own right, you learn something every day. Still they should be able to work something out.

[Daniel]

Anything much over an hour. Otaki would be a stretch for suburban stock but could be possible.

Rough estimate would be ~10min for Waikanae - Otaki with a unit (based on knocking a couple of minutes off the CC time due to better acceleration, shorter station dwell, etc). That would give 1hr6 express & 1hr10 all stations based on existing timings. Might be able to cut a few more minutes by exclusively using Matangis up the coast and taking advantage of their improved performance over the Ganz.

Let's be honest here: they were already pushing not having any toilets to Paraparaumu.
I know it's timetabled to take 55 minutes between Wellington to Paraparaumu but it's really often more than an hour.
If it's financially justifiable, I can imagine in the future services to/from Kapiti and the Wairarapa having their own class of carriages/trains with on-board toilets.

Yes I thought the Wairarapa was a region in it's own right, you learn something every day.

Logically they should be, and I think they once were.

But they won't develop their own economy and instead sponge off the Wellington region (despite the geographic absurdity).

[john-ston]

I know it's timetabled to take 55 minutes between Wellington to Paraparaumu but it's really often more than an hour. If it's financially justifiable, I can imagine in the future services to/from Kapiti and the Wairarapa having their own class of carriages/trains with on-board toilets.

I have been on an SMU to the Sunshine Coast; no toilets for a two hour trip

[cle]

Could the displaced DMUs from Auckland's new electric fleet be of use here?

I know they're old, a bit rubbish and set up for short journeys, but could they maybe run some shuttles from Palmy/Levin/Otaki to Waikanae or Parap in off peak hours, to try and drum up rail patronage and awareness in the region?

CC offering quarterly tickets is a great idea, they obviously are going for regulars rather than ad hoc passengers. Continuing this, they could offer annual tickets with seat reservations (you could have 'your seat' every day) and discounted refreshments etc... and other loyalty benefits.

[duddley]

I would prefer to see the Ferns running the CC instead of them being used on a possible Ham-Auck train

[kaiwhara]

The DMU's are overguage for the rest of the NZR Network and can only run when a Bulletin has been issued, and are subject to a lot of restrictions. I know they have been to Hutt Shops etc but they are subject to restrictions past a lot of structures (station canapies included, ADK's are prohibited past the Woburn Platform on the down for egsample due to the canapy).

[cle]

I wonder if the economics will ever stack up to replace the Ferns.

If Auckland and Wellington got together and ordered a train suitable for both networks and hinterlands.

It could be a 3 car DMU - perhaps like the 158s or 185s in the UK - with good acceleration - and configured to be suitable for the Capital Connection, Wairarapa services, Hamilton services (and beyond) and Western - Southern lines especially for Pukekohe.

They would obviously need to be nice inside - room for luggage, wifi, a drinks trolley (good coffee in the morning, booze at night).

Maybe 10 units would be a good number to have nationwide, and they could be dispatched when necessary - with wires eventually over to allow EMUs (i.e. Pukekohe or Otaki) and then moving on to future demands.

[geoff_184]

When certain persons began their campaign for subsidized long distance commuter trains, I wrote here that the campaign would place the Capital Connection under threat, as KR will see the concept as a cash cow and eventually attempt to force the higher cost structure (being campaigned for) on other trains, starting with the Capital Connection, backing the attempt up with a threat to cancel the service. This is now happening.

A big thank you to all those who have pushed for subsidized long distance passenger trains in New Zealand. May you be prominently named in the Wikipedia article about the final days of the Capital Connection

Capital Connection may be shut down

JIMMY ELLINGHAM
Manawatu Standard
29/10/2011

In a bleak sign for the future of the Capital Connection rail service, KiwiRail says the service may cease.

Fares on the once-a-day Wellington to Palmerston North commuter train will rise on Tuesday, but operator KiwiRail's passenger general manager Deb Hume said an extra 38 passengers a day were required to make the service break even.

Until Wellington metro services were extended to Waikanae in February, the train was profitable.

But since then it has been losing money as passengers take the more regular metro trains instead.

About 630 people now catch the Capital Connection every day, down from 708 a year ago.

KiwiRail refuses to say how much the service loses, a stance Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-Galloway has criticised.

This week Ms Hume said passenger numbers on the service would be monitored, but she didn't say how long KiwiRail would wait until it was forced to act.

"If measures don't attract more passengers and counteract our losses, we will start discussion with key stakeholders on other options, and this could include options such as subsiding or closing the service."

Neither Horizons nor the Greater Wellington Regional Council has been formally asked to spend ratepayers' money on the train.

There may be little appetite from Greater Wellington, which will this financial year pour $37 million into Wellington metro services.
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- Manawatu Standard

[john-ston]

The problem in some regards is that there are still too many passengers on the Capital Connection to save it - really, for such a run, the Ferns would be useful, but run as a two Fern consist, you only have room for 192 passengers; whilst the Connection still has 315 each way.