Welcome to Friday and what a week it’s been. Here are some of the other things that caught our attention this week
This Week in Greater Auckland
- On Monday we ran a guest post from Nick Reid asking if should we build a bridge or tunnel across Cook Strait?
- On Tuesday Matt looked at the government’s ideological draft Government Policy Status.
- On Thursday Matt considered the impacts of the GPS for local government.
Western Line Rebuild
For Western Line users, just in case you haven’t seen, from next week the timetable is changing due to Kiwirail starting their rail network rebuild works.
KiwiRail teams will be returning to the Western Line this month to complete Rail Network Rebuild work– requiring a change in train timetables.
KiwiRail will be working at numerous sites between Newmarket and New Lynn between 10 March and early May.
Between 11 March and 24 April, trains will only be able to run on one of the two tracks while the other is being worked on. Over this period trains will run on a revised schedule – every 20 minutes throughout the day and every 30 minutes in the evening.
“The Rail Network Rebuild is crucial work to get Auckland’s rail network up to standard ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL). Not only is it removing the need for heat and Temporary Speed Restrictions, which slow down commuter trains now, it is also necessary to allow the more frequent trains across the city that will come with CRL,” KiwiRail Chief Asset Development Officer David Gordon says.
“We have made excellent progress upgrading the Western Line to New Lynn since work began on Labour Weekend. Over the Christmas network-wide shut down, when trains weren’t running, we are able to get much of the most invasive work done. This was focused on digging down and replacing the aging track foundations around Mt Albert Station, and around the suburbs of Morningside, Kingsland and Grafton.
“We now need to finish the job. From 10 March we will return to the Western Line to complete drainage improvement work, replace ballast (the stones the tracks sit in) and replace any sleepers and rail as required. This will include some work during the day, and a lot of work at nights and on many weekends.
And AT say:
“To help manage this demand, all our Western Line trains will have six carriages at peak times, and we’ll also run extra buses to help make it easier for customers complete their journeys.
I get the need to do this work and it’s good there will be at least some service, but with the delays to the CRL, and the other issues Kiwirail have around funding this work, I do wonder if they couldn’t have at least held off for a few more weeks till get through March Madness.
And on those funding issues, they did mention it at the bottom of their press release but the Herald have expanded on it.
KiwiRail is out of money for the final stages of its $330 million rail network rebuild mega-project in Auckland after already blowing its initial budget last year.
A spokesman for the state-owned railway company told the Herald that KiwiRail “ate up all the original amount of money we needed” doing work on the Eastern Line tracks, which is stage two of the project.
“Then [NZ Transport Agency] Waka Kotahi [NZTA] was able to give us another $75 million – that’s enough to do the Western Line from Newmarket to New Lynn, [stage three] which is what we’re doing now,” the spokesman said.
However, KiwiRail has had to go cap in hand to NZTA and the Government to continue on the full project.
“We don’t have the money. It’s not funded – nothing west of New Lynn, not even [minor] drainage work,” the spokesman said.
Wayne Brown on the GPS
Business Desk have reported some interesting comments from Wayne Brown in response to the GPS
Brown jokingly referred to them as roads of National party significance and pushed back against the idea that roading projects campaigned on by the party in the election period should trump priorities identified by his Auckland integrated transport plan, which is still under development.
[…..]
Asked whether the east-west link was a priority for Auckland, Brown said no, adding that it was way down the list of priorities in the integrated transport plan.
“If you take $2b to do the east-west link, that’s $2b that’s not going to be spent somewhere else,” he said.
To illustrate the trade-offs at play, Brown added: “Would that $2b be better spent doing all the railway crossings so that the city rail link actually works?
“Everything competes with everything.”
[…..]
According to the draft GPS, all projects classified as Rons would be four-laned and grade-separated. Brown rejected the need to do this for Mill Rd.
“There are three bad intersections – fix them. It doesn’t need a fricking motorway.”
Since becoming mayor, Brown has consistently expressed scepticism about the benefits of megaprojects and has instead advocated for cheaper fixes and better use of existing assets, such as rolling out dynamic bus lanes.
[…..]
Meanwhile, during the interview, Brown said he was confident the government would pass enabling legislation to allow AT and Auckland council to implement time-of-use charging, a demand management tool that charges motorists for using specific corridors during peak hours.
While it wouldn’t provide as much revenue as the axed regional fuel tax, Brown said: “The big saving isn’t the money you collect; it’s the roads you don’t have to build.”
You want it, you pay for it
The council yesterday passed a motion asking the government to pay the full cost of the Eastern Busway. The Herald reports:
Auckland Council has hit back over the loss of the Regional Fuel Tax, telling the Government to pay the full cost of the Eastern Busway.
The Government has axed the tax, leaving the council $1.2 billion short in revenue and subsidies to spend on transport projects over the next four years.
What’s more, the Government has instructed the council to use $210 million of $360m in unspent funds from the tax to go towards the Eastern Busway.
Councillor Julie Fairey put forward the motion to seek the Government to fully fund the busway, saying she supported its completion but was uncomfortable with central government “effectively telling us what we will and won’t prioritise in our own city”.
“Now we are told we have less funding and we have to spend it on a specific project that central government prefers, which happens to align with some people’s electorate boundaries,” Fairey said.
The partially completed busway between Panmure and Botany runs through the Pakuranga electorate of Transport Minister Simeon Brown and the Botany electorate of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Continue with Gt North Rd
Also at Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee yesterday, a great presentation once again urging the council to continue with the Gt North Rd improvements.
Eating our Peas
Tim Welch at the University of Auckland writes for Newsroom.
I’m at the dinner table, and my kids won’t eat their peas. “Why aren’t you eating the peas?” I ask. “Because we don’t like them,” comes the response through gritted teeth. “You haven’t even tried them; how do you know you don’t like them?” The answer: “We just know we don’t like peas.”
My dinner dispute reminds me of another argument I heard when the new coalition Government unceremoniously killed the Road to Zero programme: New Zealand’s version of the global Vision Zero movement. It’s a policy aimed at eliminating road deaths, with a first target of a 40 percent reduction in fatalities and severe injuries from 2018 levels.
Axing Road to Zero has long been urged by some with the argument that it wasn’t working. The argument is not without merit. Since the adoption of Road to Zero, road deaths across the country have increased. If current trends hold, 2024 looks to be another terrible year, likely to exceed road deaths at this time of year across the past four years.
It’s easy to look back and say Road to Zero didn’t work. But, like my kids with their peas, we never really tried it.
[…..]
The successes of well-implemented Vision Zero programmes are widespread. Grabbing recent headlines, Jersey City, New Jersey, with a population of over 280,000, achieved zero road deaths in 2022. Jersey City’s success was quickly followed by Hoboken, another New Jersey city, in 2023.
The success of programmes in these cities comes down to doing much more than posting speed limit signs or blaming mobile phones, drugs or alcohol.
Vision Zero policy in these cities cut right to the heart of what causes road deaths: cars, specifically cars in cities.
Every city that has achieved its Vision Zero goal has done so by, yes, reducing speeds, but more importantly, increasing pedestrian, cycling and public transport infrastructure, giving more people the option not to drive. Better infrastructure encourages people to get out and walk or cycle. The more people engaged in those activities, the more drivers were aware of them. Many studies have found that the quantity of walking and cycling is one of the most significant factors in reducing deaths by car for everyone on the street, even drivers.
Not just ‘old people and weirdos’
On Europe’s night train revival:
They join an increasing number of climate-conscious Europeans, particularly younger travellers, who are shunning carbon-spewing airplanes in favour of overnight trains. In the process, they’ve spurred something of a night-train revival while discovering what many say is a slower, richer way of travelling, one that had been on the edge of extinction.
“Being able to fall asleep in one city and wake up maybe even in another country, it’s amazing to me,” said Marks, a Londoner who grew up flying several times a year. “When I switched the plane for the train, it was a no-brainer because, also, this is a superior experience.”
Reinvestment, public and private
Though still a niche and relatively pricey market, demand for sleeper trains is increasing. The online platform Trainline said overnight bookings in 2023 rose 147% compared to 2019, the year before the pandemic. And a climate survey by the European Investment Bank found that 62% of respondents supported a ban on short flights.
Governments have begun to reinvest in overnight trains as they search for ways to meet targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. The European Commission selected three new night routes in a pilot programme aimed to support cross-border travel, including some ambitious private startups.
“Government investment is somehow going back to the good old days of when railways were providing a public service,” said Poul Kettler, one of the founders of Back on Track, a pan-European rail advocacy group. “The climate is coming with a price tag, and they’re now willing to pay.”
Have a great weekend.
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Do we know when the rail line is going to be reopened for passenger use between Pukehohe and Papakura? As there are mixed messages circulating in the public space. KiwiRail are saying, that they will prefer to wait until all the stations are open to recommence a passenger rail service, so 2026. However, ‘the word on the streets’ is July 2024 for a service between Pukekohe and Papakura. Which one is it?
It looks to be fairly well advanced but I imagine signaling and testing will take time. Are you using the 394 bus the few times I used it it wasn’t too bad as it delivers you right into the town instead of having to walk from the station. Surely we won’t have to wait for 2026.
I agree that the 394 is a good service, with the opportunity to get on and off the bus in the town centre of Pukekohe, but nothing beats the train for time, and more so now since it’s ‘March Madness’ resulting in the 394 sitting in traffic going onto the motorway at Drury, in the mornings. But then there is more congestion on the network this time of year.
Hopefully, not a wait until 2026 for the train to return between Pukekohe and Papakura.
Hopefully, Auckland Council find a way to stand up to the Govt and tell then to fund their own plans. If the money is already in an Auckland Council bank account somewhere then just spend it how we want to. The money belongs to Aucklanders…we paid for it so we should get to choose how to spend it. This is not government money to decide what it gets spent on. Deciding that almost all of the money be spent in the electorates of the transport minister and the PM is pretty blatant stuff.
I’m sure we will get a bunch of NACT voters engage in a bunch of whataboutery but this stuff is truly outrageous. You can’t believe a word that comes out of these guys mouths.
Talking of sleeper trains, this was amusing.
“The German 17-year-old who spends $17,000 a year to live on a train”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/350201287/german-17-year-old-who-spends-17000-year-live-train
With that example of the Peas , my nephew tried the same while staying with me , but 20mins earlier he was eating them cold out of a can , but as soon as they were heated and put on the plate he said I don’t like them and when I told him he had just had some earlier he changed his ways , which also shocked his Mother when she found out .
So get them to try them one way and they think they are getting a treat from the Can
I overheard a couple of parents chatting on the school run the other day. One had his bike with him and the other (polite, but incredulous) couple were asking if he now rides everywhere. ‘Pretty much’, he said, ‘It makes me feel like a kid again!’
Maybe that’s the treat from the can we should focus on.
Great piece from Tim Welch, thanks. Yes, Road to Zero didn’t fail. It was never implemented, and nor was it a competent version of Vision Zero. It was the version that WK’s management, unconvinced on the need for investing in all-modes safety or good urban planning, could stomach at the time.
Road to zero had good intentions but it wasn’t popular so had to go, it’s a democracy simple as that.
the title was a giveaway “Road to…” when the program is Vision Zero – not 40%
Well Road to zero failed. 39% of Auckland’s entire road network had its speed limit dropped and still more deaths than 2019.
Speed bumps and raised crossings went in everywhere including arterials.
We did try it and the majority didn’t like it so naturally it had to go.
Wow, you really didn’t read the fineprint in the analysis did you? All of the areas where lower speeds were implemented had crashes and casualties drop, compared with the untreated parts of the network where crashes went up. And the same has been found with every other urban and rural speed reduction that has been implemented in this country in the past decade or so – a pity they’re so few as to not make a big dent in the stats overall.
Perhaps the speed reductions and obstructions made more people use the other roads pushing up their accident rates. That annd people drove more recklessly to make up for lost time. Overall result net increase.
Realist is correct and GlenK didn’t read the fine print.
If you actually read the whole report you would’ve noted that serious crashes and fatalities went UP in some areas. The abley report noted that lockdown basically spoiled their data so AT had to monitor for another 5 years to get an accurate picture and noted that actual speeds barely reduced. Almost as if existing speed limits are not the issue it was people breaking them or driving impaired in the first place.
Explain why NSW has a lower road toll despite a bigger population and almost all of Sydneys arterials have 60 or 80 speed limits.
And besides all that the majority of people do not want the limits to drop therefore it should not go ahead this is a democracy plain and simple if you want speeds lowered you have to create support for that, no one has done that.
Ah, the old “speed doesn’t matter in reducing road crashes” statement, which violates basic *physics*, as well as a century of road safety research in NZ and across the world.
So some of the programmes (including some speed reductions) weren’t popular. So what? Sometimes facts have to trump talk radio takes, and sometimes agencies really don’t want to properly communicate or implement schemes because of personal preferences of their leaders, and politicians. That’s a challenge to overcome (with leadership by other decisionmakers and politicians). It’s not a proof that something is wrong, or doesn’t work, especially when there’s such strong resistance to actually implementing it.
And as for “it’s unpopular, so it has to go, we are a democracy!” kind of arguments? Tell you what, a lot of protections of the weak or endangered don’t have consistent majority support. But road safety is about protecting the vulnerable, and protecting the most basic right of people – to stay alive and healthy. There is no ethical case to say “the majority doesn’t want it, so your life can be endangered.” Considering how bad our road safety record is compared to relevant comparison countries like, say, the UK, there’s a clear moral failure RIGHT NOW.
Where did I say “speed doesn’t matter in reducing road crashes”. I didn’t. And yes democracy always comes first it’s a complete attack on democracy if you think otherwise. So if you have roads with majority support sure lower them but any with clear opposition shouldn’t be touched.
And anyway FENZ has just said what a lot of us were saying it’s gotten so bad. The speed bumps are delaying their crews too much causing longer response times. Speed limits have a similar effect, on a 30K road they can go 60K max compared to 80 when it was a 50 zone.
So yes rip all the bumps out if you actually care about saving lives. There is no denying this evidence whatsoever, the limits should rise and the bumps should fall.
Why do you want to go so fast all the time?
Just slow down a little and relax, speed reductions are not an attack on democracy
Nope, democracy cannot always come first. Human rights are definitively superior. Or what do you think of a vote whether we should execute person x? Or a vote of the re-introducing leaded petrol or asbestos in housing?
There are many decisions that should not be driven by majority vote. A point can be made for either regarding speed limits and arguments would be different for different situations, based on perceived and actual danger. One example: If a majority voted for a 100 kph speed limit in school zones, would you support it?
I sort of gave the Wellington Auckland sleeper train my reluctant blessing on Monday, but I have changed my mind now. I don’t think it would work. Unless we could get some of the Govts cronies on board. Maybe Intercity could run it.
Kiwirail seem to think the North Auckland line could be running by mid-year and they will be able to use the DL’s. And they have ordered more mainline locomotives. They say they are low emissions but that just means more efficient diesels. Some of these will be coming to the north island because they are ETCS fitted. Something like that so they are compatible with the Auckland Metro signaling system.
Also, there will be battery/diesel shunters. So, I suppose that’s not bad news, now they just need to buckle down and carry more freight. I wonder with this new super hub thingy at Ruakura whether rail will only carry shipping containers to and from Auckland and Tauranga ports or will rail be used to re distribute nationwide. Or at least to Palmerston North, Wellington and possibly Christchurch. Also Pacifica will be running to coastal container ships twice weekly between Auckland and Christchurch. So still interesting times.
More blood on this new government’s hands:
Hamilton City Council has voted to remove 10 projects from its 2023-24 transport programme, including four projects intended to improve safety at crossings near schools.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/hamilton-city-council-cancels-10-transport-projects/OVR7QB3X55HHRDZUF5RMQPER3Y/
National born killers? More deaths than your average Oliver Stone movie?
Cannot wait for speed bumps to be ripped out and original speed limits reinstated as it is what the majority wants. Personally always follow the limit as 1K OVER is OVER but cant help but notice everyone horns,flashes lights and overtakes. Almost as if they didn’t want the limit dropped but AT felt arrogant enough to ram it through anyway. Hope next time AT listen to feedback properly so we don’t waste money on signs only to have them changed back within a year.
Hopefully there is more support for increasing traffic fines as we really need to get on top of blatant road rule breaking as the fines are seemingly too low for anyone to give a stuff.
Majority wants – free icecream and zero taxation.
you seem to be coming from a very selfish position – stuff the kids on bikes, i dont want to slow down….
pretty sure the majority wants fewer dead kids.
You’re right in some way the reason why school zone speed limits work is because people accept them. It’s about the only time you won’t get horned for doing the speed limit. It’s sad but most people see road deaths are merely coincidental.
And you’re right most people think stuff the people on bikes I don’t want to slow down.
Most cyclists ignore the new speed limit anyway (Hendry ave) they come racing down the hill about 50k while the limit is 30.
Long story short it’s a democracy we have to listen to what the people voted for the govt made it clear pre election speed limits will rise and speed bumps will fall.
And sometimes democracy produces atrocious results. I well remember when the National govt of the time introduced a scheme called SMPs that almost bankrupt the country. Surely it would make more sense to have policies that make sense rather than they are popular?
It’s a bloody long bow to say that people voted National so that they could drive faster. And it’s a coalition. I imagine if you asked Winstone’s voters why they voted for him the majority of them wouldn’t be able to remember.
Democracy gave us Hitler.
Can’t remember there being ‘should more people die on the roads’ on the ballot box but hey ho, you gun it at whatever speed you want bro and if you hit someone just yell democracy out your window as you speed off.
Never have had a single traffic ticket and never go even 1k over and constantly get tooted at for doing 30 where they rammed a new limit in. What the majority are asking for is not a lot to ask, they simply want to drive at the speeds they used to 50 or 60 without being impeded by massive bumps. It’s gotten so bad FENZ has had to chime in and say AT has gone too far.
“Cannot wait for speed bumps to be ripped out”
Why can’t we advertise them on TradeMe? ” Free for removal, speed bump. Perfect for Green Party voters to remove and install in any bike lane”
Democracy doesn’t always have to produce the best results but people learn from mistakes and if they figure out a bad idea was a bad idea you generally see a swing in voting.
Speed limits are a good example of this even the last govt knew they were a bad idea hence them quickly trying to back away from the reductions.
Ramming through speed limit reductions especially when there is overwhelming support to keep some as they are(Pakuranga road or Te Irirangi drive were something like 75-85% opposed is an attack on democracy.
Dropping speed limits doesn’t “make sense” on all occasions only when there is strong support should they take place.
A swing in voting because Labour impinged on democracy by lowering the speed limit? You’re taking the piss, right?
Governments funding distribution has changed but perhaps by not as much as what it being made out.
Spending on Local road improvements, and Safety improvements, remains the same as Labours plan.
Public transport operations down 12%. Rail operations down 7%. PT improvements down 33%. Walking and cycling improvements down 24%.
State highway improvements up 37%. State highway maintenance up 7%. Local road maintenance up 14%.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350200628/higher-taxes-fewer-potholes-how-governments-transport-plan-impacts-you
Resistance by some BOP councilors to higher density, but still passed vote. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/western-bay-council-adopts-planning-rules-for-omokoroa-and-te-puke/H3UX5KBXZNFIRJ55ZQH2S7MHNA/
Go here for the latest:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/western-bay-of-plenty-housing-intensification-rules-put-on-hold/CSO37FF34FF5XJL6J76CXK7N6U/
Why haven’t we defunct the Te Huia yet? Te Huia should be defunct! To be running an Auckland- Hamilton rail service, should be running every 30 mins, 45 mins or even a hour from Britomart. Not operating from the Strand and run two weekday and one Saturday service!
In Australia for example in Brisbane (sister city of Auckland), you got Brisbane-Gold Coast line which is nearly the same distance as Auckland-Hamilton and same topography & distance. Also Brisbane-Gold Coast line runs every 30 mins, 7 days a week and is electrified. Another example would be in Melbourne too, they got Melbourne-Geelong line operates every 45-1 hr, 7 days a week with same topography & distance. It makes no sense to be operating a Auckland-Hamilton service that runs 2 times weekday, Saturday one service. What needs to be done, is to only electrify Pukekohe to Te Papa, without any work on the tracks from Mercer-Te Rapa for time-being and laying extension tracks. Do work on the tracks and laying extensions after 2030 or something. Now should be the focus on bringing more electrified passenger rail services in NZ and not neglecting rail!
From an economic point of view, it makes total sense to be doing an electrification $430 million Pukekohe to Te Papa right & full work on track rebuild from Pukekohe-Mercer like we got at moment with Auckland rebuild. Now’s the right time during a ‘cost of living crisis’. Would open up the housing market and would lure people moving to Te Kauwhata, Huntly, Taupiri, Ngaruawaiha situated on Pukekohe to Te Papa electrification cause they see the benefits of moving, public transport convenience, frequent service and not solely relying car for commute. Would also be good for Hamilton, would grow the economy by tourism, family outing, meet & greets, good for people living Pukekohe to Te Papa electrification who work in Auckland meaning they’ll spend on businesses in Hamilton. With-it, purchasing more EMU units for regional passenger rail would be faster and operationally feasible to operate. So commuters can travel faster between cities. We just need to start electrifying lines without any work on the tracks and laying extension tracks, electrifying lines should be main priority!
We cannot be following 18 hybrid bi-mode trains for Palmerston North & Masterton to Wellington ‘Lower North Island Passenger Rail case’ in solving their issues. The trains are heavier cause of batteries inside, the trains are slower than electrified trains and the reality is that the technology isn’t particularly new. In the UK, the government purchased fleet of hybrid bi-mode trains. By 2017, GWR the hybrid train launched Bristol-London line was the first to enter service. Ended up being late to London and train brakes down while switching from diesel to electricity because of the batteries inside the train. In fact, the hybrid train was really nothing more than a large, out-of-date Toyota Prius. The point is that, it’s a bad idea opting for hybrid trains. It’s not ideal for battery powered train to run at high voltage rate which causes overheating when running long lengths of time in-which causes breakdowns and unreliable service which you see in UK with Hybrid trains.
From an economic point of view, it makes total sense to be doing an electrification $430 million Pukekohe to Te Papa right now during a ‘cost of living crisis’. Pukekohe to Te Papa electrification would lure people moving to Te Kauwhata, Huntly, Taupiri, Ngaruawaiha situated on Pukekohe to Te Papa electrification cause they see the benefits of moving, public transport convenience, frequent service and not solely relying car for commute. Would open up the housing market to retired workers, parents whose kids grown up & moved out and old people into moving to prestigious views of the Waikato. So they can move out of Auckland so younger people can get into the housing market in Auckland and not see young people be locked-out. Would also be good for Hamilton, would grow the economy by tourism, family outings, meet & greets, good for people living Pukekohe to Te Papa electrification who work in Auckland meaning they’ll spend on businesses in Hamilton.
t’s not just about opening up usage on North Waikato, it’s about opening up whole Waikato! Auckland-Hamilton will obviously terminates at Frankton station. But if you got off at Rotokauri Station and caught the M bus service to Transport Centre, you’d be able to connect to bus services to Cambridge, Morrinsville, Te Awamutu Raglan and even far as Taupo. Also services all bus services serving Hamilton area. But should ideally be a regular bus service from Frankton Station to Transport Centre. There’s definitely demand for frequent EMU units for Auckland-Hamilton. You got, Intercity buses, they always have full buses to Hamilton and not exactly comforting journey due to lack of comfort, spacing & body mobility exercises over rail. Lastly you got the option of commuting by car, there’s already enough people driving by car. It’s time we get people choosing rail over cars not for reducing emissions, but for reducing amount of cars on our roads which creates bottlenecks. Just need funding for EMU units for Auckland-Hamilton and electrification $430 million Pukekohe-Te Rapa to go ahead!
Bi mode trains do have advantages for instance if the overheads aren’t operating for any reason. Also what if only some sections of track are wired up say somewhere around Huntly electrify 5 kilometres of track then the batteries could get a bit of a top up before they venture through the unelectrified sections. I would imagine a lot of power could even be transferred into the batteries during the 3 or 4 minutes the train is stopped at the station. Then there are the days when the power is off during a shutdown of the Auckland system. Battery powered trains could continue to operate. There was a bit of a myth going around a few years ago that it might not even be possible to wire through the swamp because it would be too unstable to maintain the overhead at the right height above the track. Another story which has come up from time to time is that even though the Auckland system is the same voltage as the main trunk system that somehow they are different and trains designed on one system wouldn’t be able to run on the other. But who knows I am not an electrical engineer.
But to sum it all up I would guess the case against further electrification would be that there is not sufficient demand for freight and passengers to warrant it unless it was decided to wire right through to Mount Maunganui. But that depends largely on what happens with Auckland port.
Bimode? More like unreliable malfunctioning out-of-date Toyota Prius which needs to water to cool off. Just like the launch in UK’s GWR 2017 Bristol-London launch. The revenue service was a disaster, water leaking inside the train (getting passengers wet) and malfunction with-in the train itself!
“some sections of track are wired up say somewhere around Huntly electrify 5 kilometres”
Huntly doesn’t have any 5 km electrified wiring and what would be the point?
“There was a bit of a myth going around a few years ago that it might not even be possible to wire through the swamp because it would be too unstable to maintain the overhead at the right height above the track. ”
Now that’s the most laughable myth I’ve ever heard! New Zealand only natural features are Forrests, lush grass, wetlands & estuaries, no such thing as swamp in NZ. Also you’re concluding a swamp is upside down overlooking the ground? Someone had too many late night boo’s and crash their rich Roll’s Royce into the danky swamp. What a mythical story!
Wiring to Mt Maunganui would be costly and cause problems with already busy Hamilton-Mt Maunganui track, not twin track all the way and gets daily 35-40 trains per day. The priority focus should be on Auckland-Hamilton and complete wiring, at later date full work on track and making whole line twin tracked and fit for purpose!
Bi Mode to the West country was so more money to SE England could be made available. It was and is a despicable decision when the Great White Elephant (HS2) be being built to go nowhere to help no one but the occasional businessman heading to his home in the Black Country at the end of a week in London.
The gaps between Auckland and Wellington need to be closed ASAP then NZ Inc can focus on electrifying HLZ-TRG, Picton-CHC/DUD etc.
Unfortunately I would somewhat reluctantly have to agree with bus driver there are just not enough passengers at the moment and certainly not enough to justify electrification unless it was to be done for freight as well. However are Kiwirail costing its cost for running this service correctly. I can’t answer that.
But another couple of points seeing as you have brought them up. Firstly there is a swamp (You can call it a wetland if you want) it is 12 kilometres long and its single track. Trains are restricted to 70 km/hour through this section so there might be a small amount of truth in the myth. And sometimes slower so it is unstable even after 160 years of use but lets assume it could be wired. And actually it would make sense for it to be an isolated section of electrified track. So lets call it a top up section. Single track means less wiring and it would be quite straight forward compared to wiring double track with cross overs. The other point would be voltage drop because the train would be going slower the batteries would charge faster. I could explain that but I don’t really want to.
While I don’t know about what went wrong with the Pommy trains I do know that bi mode trains are becoming quite common and Watech is building battery powered mainline locomotives which will run in tandem with diesel locomotives. These will be plug in initially and they will also recover braking energy. Presumably they could take power from any electrified section. Any early adopter takes a risk we all know that. But there are options to full electrification.
And then we come to the cost of all the stations you want to build and the attitude of the coalition. Anyway lets not be too negative but we may be waiting a while unless half the world comes to live here. And that’s a possibility too.
Best not wire up the swap/wetland as that is literally throwing good money after bad.
Better to create a new alignment and electrify that.
Ah, but this is NZ where we never think for then 3 years ahead due to our far too frequent national elections, so that will never happen. Instead lets give the tax that will pay for it to those with plenty of coin already.
“In Australia for example in Brisbane (sister city of Auckland), you got Brisbane-Gold Coast line”
Here are some facts: Brisbane has a population of 2.28 million.
Over 3.7 million domestic overnight visitors travelled to the Gold Coast in 2022 (year ending September 2022).
Domestic visitors were up 23% when compared with the over 3 million from 2021 (year ending September 2021)
For the first quarter of 2021 (January-March), Brisbane and the Gold Coast received over 2.4 million domestic overnight visitors from both interstate and intrastate sources.
Auckland has a population of 1.6million
Figures for April 2023 show an average of 321 passengers use the AKL-Hamilton train each weekday.
The 11-month $5 million plus operating loss seems to be funding an ideological luxury for a group of commuters who could easily afford a $40 return bus fare rather than the rest of us subsidising their daily $180 return Te Huia fare handout.
Using mid 20th Century technology, there is no environmental dividend. The daily average of 300+ passengers does not compare favourably to the 25,000 people who use the Expressway daily, so in truth the service is poorly patronised.
Unless the passenger numbers catapult into full train loads the service is doomed to be a financial, environmental and ideological failure at a time when we are in a cost of living crisis
Source: Waikato Chamber of Commerce
Should be an intra-Waikato service first, but allowing for a seamless change to the AT metro network, via Pukekohe and Puhinui (for airport access).
Otherwise its a driving alternative between Pokeno and the rest of the northern Waikato towns, and Hamilton central. Regular return services, especially at peak, would blow that 300 passengers out of the water, and it would be cheaper to run, not having to go into the Strand.
Meta-analysis of bike impacts on business:
https://www.businessinsider.com/bike-lanes-good-for-business-studies-better-streets-2024-3
This essay is excellent and really helpful. I’ve been silently practicing this loan calculator, and I’m becoming better at it! Enjoy yourself, work harder, and develop your impressiveness
RAISED CROSSING COSTS: Auckland Transport says it cost $600,000 to install and then rip up a raised pedestrian crossing in Hayr Road designed to last 40 years.
The cost of installing the crossing at Hayr Rd in Three Kings in early 2022 was $463,000. Removing it and replacing it with a standard crossing cost about $133,000, AT said.
The full cost of the new works will not be known until the work has been completed.
It cost $36 million to build a car park in Takapuna. It is performing so abysmally that it is now free on Sundays.
Why is it free on Sundays? The public story is that people will try it out and discover that it is so good they will pay $2.50 per hour on other days. This reasoning is so ludicrous that either the operators or stupid, or they think that we are, to buy this piece of nonsense thinking.
Note that weekday numbers are appallingly low too.
Another that you might have encountered Bus Driver was the pram island that was built on Lake Road. I suspect that it was called a pram island to widen its appeal. Who knows what the true purpose was?
I had a look at where it was proposed for, stepped it out, and submitted that it would impede buses. Once it was built it took about 2 days to discover that it impeded buses.
I am all for safety improvements, but ones that are poorly conceived (don’t read this as unpopular) serve no-one well.
Mmmm Delicious car parking.
4000+ car parks in Takapuna
https://www.ilovetakapuna.co.nz/discover/parking-options/
I don’t where they get those cost from here is an example , many years ago in Belgium St on Waiheke they installed 4 narrow speed bumps which were screwed/bolted to the road and the locals including the bus company complained they were to harsh when going over them and asked for there removal and council said it would cost around $5000 to unbolt them . But over a2 night period all 4 disappeared never to be seen again and at no cost to council
Greater Auckland, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Polynesia, Greenland, Europe, United States, Japan and New Zealand. I see and hear what happening about My Mum’s Born Harbin China and Your Son’s Born Wellington New Zealand.
NUMBER 1: Before Late December 2022, Mum says “Dad come back at home” at once.
NUMBER 2: Mum talk about Someone die, Found it, Did it and Tracing Everything Everywhere and Everyone and Mum use the blue pen to write down paper about any number of evils, Found it and Trace Everything Everywhere and Everyone for 9 months from 01 January 2023 to 01 October 2023 with the Son.
NUMBER 3: Last Time from 01 January 2023 to 01 March 2024, Mum says to the Son about now can you close your eye, Trace very hard, Are you there and Is Dad there.
NUMBER 4: Mum says about Singapore Woman hiding inside the secret room at the bedroom house and Mum talk and use the blue pen to write down paper about any number of half human, human and no human and correct number is 3 of us Son, Mum and Dad, Date, Month, Year and House Number, Level Number, Set Number, Even Number, Odd Number, Lucky Number, Unlucky Number, Wrong Number and Right Number.
NUMBER 5: But Son see and hear there is no one, Son see and hear there is no Dad and no Singapore Woman here around the Whole House, Son see and hear Mum’s says “Dad come back at home” at once in Late December 2022, Son see and hear Mum’s talk about Someone die, Found it, Did it and Tracing Everything Everywhere and Everyone and Mum’s use the blue pen to write down paper about any number of evils, Found it and Trace Everything Everywhere and Everyone for 9 months from 01 January 2023 to 01 October 2023 with the Son, Son see and hear Mum’s says to the Son about now can you close your eye, Trace very hard, Are you there and Is Dad there for 14 months from 01 January 2023 to 01 March 2024, Son see and hear Mum’s says about Singapore Woman hiding inside the secret room at the bedroom house and Mum’s talk and use the blue pen to write down paper about any number of half human, human and no human and correct number is 3 of us Son, Mum and Dad, Date, Month, Year and House Number, Level Number, Set Number, Even Number, Odd Number, Lucky Number, Unlucky Number, Wrong Number and Right Number and Son hear Mum’s Bigger Lying to the Son.
NUMBER 6: And that’s means Son thinks I am getting very sad and angry to the Mum about the Most I don’t like it to see and hear Mum about:
(A): Before Late December 2022, Mum says “Dad come back at home” at once.
(B): Mum talk about Someone die, Found it, Did it and Tracing Everything Everywhere and Everyone and Mum use the blue pen to write down paper about any number of evils, Found it and Trace Everything Everywhere and Everyone for 9 months from 01 January 2023 to 01 October 2023 with the Son.
(C): Last Time from 01 January 2023 to 01 March 2024, Mum says to the Son about now can you close your eye, Trace very hard, Are you there and Is Dad there.
And (D): Mum Says about Singapore Woman hiding inside the secret room at the bedroom house and Mum talk and use the blue pen to write down paper about any number of half human, human and no human and correct number is 3 of us Son, Mum and Dad, Date, Month, Year and House Number, Level Number, Set Number, Even Number, Odd Number, Lucky Number, Unlucky Number, Wrong Number and Right Number and Mum’s Bigger Lying to the Son, that is all Most Bloody Rubbish and it is Most so very Extreme Bad for Everyone around the Whole World.
AND
NUMBER 7: Son see the Paper means:
“(a): Country rate dollar down forever = Person’s Born Country Die forever and
Country rate dollar up forever = Best Person’s Born Country Life forever”,
“(b): China rate dollar down forever = Mum’s Born Beijing China Die forever and
New Zealand rate dollar up forever = Best Son’s Born Auckland New Zealand Life forever” and
“(c): China rate dollar down forever = Mum’s Born Harbin China Die forever and
New Zealand rate dollar up forever = Best Son’s Born Wellington New Zealand Life forever”.
So Greater Auckland, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Polynesia, Greenland, Europe, United States, Japan, New Zealand, Linda and Your Son, we all must be immediately take (c) now, because My Most Mum’s so very Extreme Bad and Your Most Son’s so very Extreme Best that’s OK.
So Greater Auckland, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Polynesia, Greenland, Europe, United States, Japan, New Zealand, Linda and Your Son. The Most China rate dollar must be immediately down now forever about so very Extreme Bad Mum Dying forever and the Most New Zealand rate dollar must be immediately up now forever about so very Extreme Best Son Life forever, build Expressway, MRT, LRT, BRT, Everything and many more, Buying more Apartment, House, Townhouse Everything and many more, get marriage and many more in the Whole New Zealand, because it is Most so very Extreme Best for Everyone around the Whole World.
And So Greater Auckland, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Polynesia, Greenland, Europe, United States, Japan and New Zealand, now try have a biggest fight to get all the money out from 26 Country List: List 1 China, List 2 Mongolia, List 3 North Korea, List 4 South Korea, List 5 Taiwan, List 6 Hong Kong, List 7 Macau, List 8 Laos, List 9 Myanmar, List 10 Vietnam, List 11 Thailand, List 12 Cambodia, List 13 Philippines, List 14 Central Asia, List 15 South Asia, List 16 Western Asia, List 17 Singapore, List 18 Malaysia, List 19 Indonesia, List 20 Brunei, List 21 East Timor, List 22 Southeast Asia, List 23 Micronesia, List 24 Melanesia, List 25 Australia and List 26 Africa into 4 Country List: List 1 New Zealand, List 2 United States, List 3 Europe and List 4 Japan for every month.
Spam