Long time CBT member Barry Palmer responds to David Bennett MP’s baseless anti-rail viewpoint.
David Bennett MP, Hamilton West, has not considered all aspects of a Hamilton to Auckland Rail Service.
When he advocates electric cars to the exclusion of rail he completely ignores those that will be unable to afford them and those who cannot drive. At least he seems to concede the age of oil is coming to an end.
He overlooks the availability of the train’s on board refreshment and toilet facilities that eliminate stops that car commuters inevitably make.
He fails to grasp that trains permit business commuters to start and finish their working day while commuting, saving up to four hours otherwise lost.
He doesn’t take into account that while cars can manage a legal top speed of 100 kph, the present railcars with a top speed of 120 kph can easily manage 100 kph for much more of the journey if that is required due to fewer speed restrictions, less congestion and gentler gradients.
In 50 years’ time he claims electric cars will be the most efficient form of transport, but seems unaware that our narrow gauge rail, with a fraction of the investment his government is making in parallel roads, can reach 160 kph for passenger and freight trains, something road transport will never achieve. City centre to centre it will also outperform air travel.
Does he appreciate that future electrified railcars do not have to carry a heavy load of batteries while electric cars will need to for their source of energy, nor will they have to delay to recharge, as cars will. Their steel wheel on steel rail has 1/10 the rolling friction of rubber on tarmac. Overall the energy consumed per passenger-kilometre will be less than a third that of an electric car.
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