Overlander survival talks on track

Hope is building for the survival of the Overlander trains between Auckland and Wellington, after a meeting yesterday between rail operator Toll and North Island regional councils.

The parties have agreed to meet again next week after trading suggestions in Auckland on possible ways of keeping the money-losing daylight passenger service running past a threatened closure date of September 30.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee was joined by his mid-North Island counterpart, Garrick Murfitt of Horizons Regional Council, at yesterday's meeting with Toll chief executive David Jackson. They are also representing the Waikato and Wellington regional councils, and constituent communities along the 98-year-old train route.

Both sides described the meeting as positive and constructive.

Mr Lee said it was a big step forward from a testy meeting with Toll a fortnight ago and, without raising "false hope", he believed a temporary arrangement could be reached to buy time for a more permanent solution.

Toll communications manager Sue Foley, who was also at yesterday's meeting, said: "We are absolutely committed to getting a working solution if we can."

Most of the service's 35 staff appeared prepared to hold out for a possible solution while meeting unprecedented workloads from sell-out bookings on the 200-seater trains.

They were buoyed by expressions of goodwill from the public.

Ms Foley said there was no doubt New Zealanders loved the idea of rail, but it remained to be seen how many would be prepared to use it, if the service were granted a reprieve.

Toll says annual patronage has dropped in the past two years from 90,000 to 50,000 passengers.

It announced its plan to withdraw the service after the Government rejected a request for a $1.75 million operating subsidy and a $500,000 one-off capital grant for rolling-stock upgrades.

Mr Lee said last night that his council had a strong business relationship with Toll and believed a temporary solution could be reached "without bothering the Government".

He said his organisation had subsidised the Overlander service to the tune of about $300,000 over the past three years by contributing up to half of the access fee Toll paid an agency managing Britomart on behalf of Auckland City Council.

The Green Party, meanwhile, reported interest throughout the country in an Overland survival petition which it says has already been signed by several thousand people.

MP Keith Locke said party members would be collecting signatures at Britomart this evening, and had activities planned for tomorrow in several other centres, including Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson and Dunedin.