First-class treatment at last for the rail commuter

By CATHY ARONSON

According to Auckland Mayor John Banks, those of us who rode the first train into Britomart yesterday are part of history in the making, and future generations may one day make a fuss of me.

But those who were travelling in the other direction were probably not expecting the fuss they received - including taxi rides home from Papakura when the trains began running well behind schedule.

Ngati Whatua greeted us with a powhiri as our newly renovated "Britomart Express" pulled into the space-age looking, $211 million underground train station.

For the first time since I began catching the train from Papakura a year ago, I felt better than a second-class public transport commuter.

You see, according to some politicians, no one caught the train. Aucklanders would never get out of their cars and the train was an old-fashioned way to travel.

The reality is that there is more to Auckland than the CBD. A great percentage of "Aucklanders" want jobs in the big city but choose to live in the fresh country air, and more will do so in future.

The motorway is now congested as far back as my on-ramp at Drury. Catching the bus may save me from paying criminal parking fees but the journey can still take two hours.

Instead, I park at the Papakura train station, hop on the express to Auckland, read my paper and half an hour later, I'm at work. I have friends who take longer to get through the CBD.

But my journeys have not always been so blessed.

The first time I caught the train, on my first day at the Herald's Auckland office, I was nearly put off rail for life. It was a dark, wet winter's morning, and the only shelter was full of rubbish, broken glass and other undesirables.

The train had broken down and was an hour late, and the ride to work was horrifying. The carriage swayed violently, with every grind and bump amplifying through the cold steel.

I could hardly hold my wet newspaper still long enough to read it, and we had to stop at every station to pick up the other late, angry commuters, making the journey more than an hour.

To make it worse, the buses to take us from the old railway station at Beach Rd near Parnell were no longer on the morning peak run, and took half an hour to turn up.

Not a good start to my first day in Auckland. Not a good introduction to rail. But I persevered because my options were limited.

Thankfully, there have been big improvements in the past six months and instead of empty seats, I sometimes have to stand.

The trains have been spruced up, and although I know the snake has merely shed its skin and the trains are nearly half a century old and do not meet present crash standards, most commuters are pleased with the aesthetics.

I now catch the lovely Silver Fern express from Pukekohe to Auckland, which takes half an hour and is nearly always on time. Reclining chairs, footstools, food trays and heating have enticed other briefcase-carrying commuters to take a truly enjoyable ride.

The worst part was getting off the train so far from the CBD and waiting for the bus. This is where Britomart will make a big difference.

There will be an immediate increase in the number of people wanting to join us long-suffering commuters. But the question is whether they persevere.

At the end of the day, at the end of the line, they have to get off. They can't see where the next train station is because the signs are covered in graffiti, there is no lighting and it simply feels unsafe.

Failure to complete overdue plans for stations with lighting, security cameras, vandal-resistant shelters and more parking will be costly.

The future looks bright with politicians agreeing to have electric trains by 2015, but as Mr Banks pointed out, yesterday was history in the making.