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The Waikato Regional Council’s two-year review of the Waikato to Auckland passenger rail Te Huia claims the service is “on track” with customer satisfaction at 98 per cent for 2023 and an average of about 298 passengers on each weekday in 2024.
But the review also acknowledges 315 individual records of Te Huia train delays last year.
Meanwhile, Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good says the service isn’t worth the taxpayer dollars spent amidst a cost of living crisis.
The Te Huia Passenger Rail Service’s Interim Performance Assessment After Two Years of Operation review will be discussed at Friday’s Future Proof Public Transport Subcommittee meeting and will go to a New Zealand Transport Agency board meeting later this month for a decision.
According to the review document, Te Huia has seen an increase in daily weekday and Saturday passenger numbers in the first quarter of 2024, compared with the first quarter of 2023.
However, the review acknowledged Te Huia’s journey times would need to be faster compared to car travel for the service to draw more passengers and investment.
“Challenges around service punctuality are the result of extensive engineering works on the Auckland Metro network, which has led to a significant deterioration in performance during 2023.”
The Waikato Regional Council’s two-year review of the Waikato to Auckland passenger rail Te Huia claims the service is 'on track' with customer satisfaction at 98 per cent.
There were 315 individual records of Te Huia train delays in 2023, the review said. Of these, the vast majority were in the Auckland Metro area.
“The biggest single cause of the Te Huia delay is 139 individually recorded temporary speed restrictions for engineering works, extreme heat, flooding to safety reasons.”
The review said these delaying factors were “beyond the control of the Te Huia service”.
Despite delays, the review said “many people” were taking the train regularly while passenger satisfaction was still “very high”.
To provide a “more attractive and economically viable” service moving forward, the review said improvements in the draft Waikato Regional Council Long Term Plan included adding new services and replacing railway vehicles.
Waikato regional councillor and Future Proof Public Transport Subcommittee chair Angela Strange said the council had worked with Kiwirail to deliver a reliable service.
“That’s reflected in strong passenger growth ever since the first services rolled out of Hamilton.
“The service has opened up the world for people with disabilities, providing access to all the opportunities many of us take for granted.
“Overall, Te Huia has proven to be a crucial step forward in enabling an equitable, universally accessible and affordable transport system, the vision of the Waikato regional public transport plan.”
Strange said the review highlighted feedback from passengers who have successfully secured employment in Auckland without the need to relocate and from those who have enrolled in tertiary study but been able to return home on weekends without buying a car.
The Te Huia commuter train at the Rotokauri Transport Hub in Hamilton.
Also, retirees have been able to use the SuperGold concession to connect with family and access social and tourism activities.
“The results of the assessment clearly show that Te Huia is on track to meeting its five-year targets and is a valued public transport option for hundreds of passengers. So it’s important we explore ways to keep this train running for the full five years of the trial,” Strange said.
“Moving people by rail is important for economic development. With any new service, growth takes time and we are seeing that with Te Huia. Strategic, long term thinking is needed to ensure the time and money already spent building the service is not wasted.”
The report to the subcommittee signalled that an independent review of fares and operating costs was under way, looking at ways to improve farebox recovery in response to the proposed government policy statement released in March 2024.
Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good. Photo / Supplied
But the Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good disagrees with the council’s review.
“The two-year review of Te Huia is out, and we don’t think it makes for positive reading,” Good said in a chamber newsletter.
“Patronage isn’t increasing and we’re not convinced it’s actually being used by the people it was originally set up for: commuters heading to Auckland for work.”
Good said the Waikato Expressway carried more passengers in three days than Te Huia does in a year.
“Speed restrictions and lengthy delays indicate Te Huia is not reliable, and poor patronage indicates it is simply a white elephant.”
According to Good, the service “was never going to be viable financially”.
“With Councils increasing rates hugely and the country facing a big bill for fixing an infrastructure cliff, Waikato ratepayers and the Kiwi taxpayer simply cannot afford to fund a rail service for the small number of [Waikato residents] working in Auckland.”
The Waikato Chamber of Commerce has a poll running on its LinkedIn page about Te Huia.
Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based multimedia reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.
