Wellington has traditionally been Aotearoa's rail capital. But the city's growth is straining its rail network. Read on for what is needed to secure Wellington's rail future.
Aug 5, 2023·edited Aug 5, 2023Liked by Darren Davis
Interesting. How much of the required/planned upgrades and improvements are happening because of the planned improvements to the Wellington - Palmerston North and Wellington - Masterton (commuter) passenger services.
Most likely that these will occur because it is already committed to by this government and included in the National Party's moar roads transport announcement.
The future looks bleaker for Te Huia though despite it also running along a major development corridor.
But unfortunately, it doesn't go south of Bunny St and include the region's CBD, a quarter of the population, three quarters of the economic activity, the densest areas and important regional destinations like the main hospital and the airport. Every other main urban rail system in the world (as far as I can determine) provides an unbroken direct through service between the suburbs and satellite cities and through the dense core – the reason for Auckland's City Rail Link, for example. Providing a direct through service and eliminating the stub termination at the edge of the CBD would be a far more effective way to provide extra capacity, and incentivising passengers to use it, than simply improving the railway which will still stop short of the destinations typically sought by car commuters.
Plans to fix this anomaly in Wellington, using light rail/tram-train, have been around since 1878, as I outlined in a presentation to the NZ Rail 2014 conference in Auckland. I would attach it, but there seems no facility for us freeloaders to do so (and on a superannuitant's budget I am prevented by my manager from taking out a paid sub!!) But I will happily answer emails.
Interesting. How much of the required/planned upgrades and improvements are happening because of the planned improvements to the Wellington - Palmerston North and Wellington - Masterton (commuter) passenger services.
Most likely that these will occur because it is already committed to by this government and included in the National Party's moar roads transport announcement.
The future looks bleaker for Te Huia though despite it also running along a major development corridor.
Great commentary, as far as it goes.
But unfortunately, it doesn't go south of Bunny St and include the region's CBD, a quarter of the population, three quarters of the economic activity, the densest areas and important regional destinations like the main hospital and the airport. Every other main urban rail system in the world (as far as I can determine) provides an unbroken direct through service between the suburbs and satellite cities and through the dense core – the reason for Auckland's City Rail Link, for example. Providing a direct through service and eliminating the stub termination at the edge of the CBD would be a far more effective way to provide extra capacity, and incentivising passengers to use it, than simply improving the railway which will still stop short of the destinations typically sought by car commuters.
Plans to fix this anomaly in Wellington, using light rail/tram-train, have been around since 1878, as I outlined in a presentation to the NZ Rail 2014 conference in Auckland. I would attach it, but there seems no facility for us freeloaders to do so (and on a superannuitant's budget I am prevented by my manager from taking out a paid sub!!) But I will happily answer emails.
Brent Efford, NZ Agent, Light Rail Transit Assn brent.efford@me.com