The Campaign For Better Transport

Media Release from the Newmarket Business Association

Kiwirail’s proposed daily passenger rail service from Auckland to Hamilton would be great as the Hamilton CBD pushes for reinvigoration and economic growth,” says an Auckland business leader.

“Waikato needs to cash in on Auckland’s huge projected population. It needs to start feeding off it as well as feeding into it. According to Statistics New Zealand the Auckland region is growing by the size of Hamilton City about every four years and will be home to two million people by about 2030,” says Cameron Brewer, head of the Newmarket Business Association.

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The public is urged to show their support for a Hamilton – Auckland commuter rail service

Today the Campaign For Better Transport (CBT) officially launched phase two of its “Waikato Commuter Trains NOW!” campaign in favour of a commuter rail service between Hamilton and Auckland.

Waikato residents and businesses, as well as potential Auckland to Hamilton rail commuters, now have the opportunity to sign and send a freepost postcard direct to their pick of Prime Minister John Key, Transport Minister Steven Joyce, and local Hamilton MPs Tim Macindoe and David Bennett. 

David Bennett has recently voiced his opposition to funding the proposed Hamilton to Auckland commuter service, branding it a waste of time.  Jon Reeves, a spokesperson for the CBT, says “We hope that, as the recipient of numerous postcards in support of this service, David Bennett will respond to what his electorate really wants”.

Results from Hamilton City Council’s most recent Residents Survey show that 85% of city residents think a Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail Service would be a good idea.  This service could become a reality for a fraction of the cost of the roading projects currently underway in the region.

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Things are really on a knife-edge at the moment when it comes to whether Hamilton-Auckland Rail will go ahead or not, so now’s the time to let your voice be heard on the matter.

Print off this postcard and send it to Steven Joyce, Minister of Transport. Our “Action Stations” campaign was a big success due to your participation – so put some pressure on the Minister and make your voice heard! Postage is free.

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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The Waikato Times reports that David Bennett is representing the views of himself (and presumably the party he represents), rather than 85% of his electorate.

A proposed commuter rail service to Auckland has run into a political storm with National MP David Bennett branding it a waste of time.

Hamilton City Council transport chairman Dave Macpherson has responded by saying Mr Bennett is out of touch.

The commuter service hangs in the balance despite a top-level meeting between Hamilton politicians and KiwiRail yesterday.

KiwiRail is to come back to the city council in about two weeks with a final price for a trial service for the council to either accept or reject.

But Mr Bennett today cast further doubt on the plan by saying the train wouldn’t be able to get into the Britomart station.

A peer review commissioned by Environment Waikato of the original feasibility report on the service backs Mr Bennett’s claims by talking of an “impasse” on fitting into Auckland’s peak morning timetable at Britomart.

Mr Bennett also said the service would use old diesel railcars environmentally worse than cars, and the region shouldn’t be asking for more Government money when it had a huge amount of money put into finishing the Waikato Expressway within 10 years… [more]

This is extremely disappointing from Mr Bennett.  He supported our Electrify Now campaign a few years back (that’s him on the right), but not spending on rail in his own electorate.  Scheduling into Britomart can be overcome (possibly by changing trains at the new Newmarket station) and the Silver Fern rail cars are being refurbished to a very high standard.  They will be the best railcars in the country.

Ohhhhh we are getting so close! The Herald reports:

KiwiRail has agreed to present a proposal to Hamilton City within weeks on a trial daily passenger service to and from Auckland.

“We are refining a proposal to run a service using the Silver Fern railcars between Hamilton and Auckland on a trial basis,” spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said last night.

His comment followed discussions KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn and his passenger services general manager Ross Hayward held in Hamilton yesterday with city representatives.

City transport committee chairman David Macpherson said KiwiRail had offered to work on a proposal over the next couple of weeks to present various cost and timing possibilities to his council, which had allocated $250,000 in its budget towards a rail service.

He said the proposal would be based on two return services daily which, combined with the long-distance Overlander, would offer Waikato residents three trains a day to Auckland.

Environment Waikato

Results from Hamilton City Council’s most recent Residents Survey show that 85% of city residents think a Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail Service would be a good idea with over 43% stating that they would use services if they were restarted.

The survey which is carried out quarterly and benchmarks residents’ satisfaction levels, recently included a question which asked residents if they were in favour of the re-introduction of passenger rail services to Auckland.

A business case report on a potential Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail Service was commissioned by Environment Waikato earlier this year. The report looked at opportunities to restart services within the next three years and concluded that it would be possible to start small and build services once popularity grew.

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Well done to the CBT’s Jon Reeves, ably assisted by Barry Palmer and Ross Galloway:

Leading rail industry consultants have added weight to a campaign to run a commuter train between Hamilton and Auckland, saying economic benefits would “comfortably” exceed operating losses.

They predict $15.5 million over 15 years in economic benefits including reduced road congestion from a single daily return service, against an operating loss of $6.6 million.

That would give the service a benefit-cost ratio of 1.9, or an economic return of $1.90 for each $1 invested by the Government and ratepayers.

The analysis is in a preliminary business case prepared for the Environment Waikato regional council, which is being urged by campaigners including Hamilton City leaders to lease Silver Fern rail-cars being taken off the Pukekohe-Auckland commuter run at the end of next month.

Although the council omitted a Hamilton-Auckland service from its draft three-year regional land transport programme of projects for which it will seek Government subsidies, it has received 40 submissions urging it not to lose the chance to obtain the rail-cars… [more]

 It was a real last ditch effort from Jon (and a trip to Hamilton) to get the rail link into Hamilton’s plan.  Nice one.