Pensioners' travel curbs among rail budget cuts

Auckland rail passengers are likely to face fare rises early next year and pensioners may have their free travel trimmed to meet a funding shortfall.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority will next month consider fare rises it expects will be required by a new policy of the Government's Transport Agency, which believes Auckland rail passengers receive heftier subsidies than Wellingtonians.

Holders of SuperGold cards in Auckland may also have to make do with free public transport trips during off-peak periods only, rather than through the afternoon and evening rush hours, bringing them into line with pensioners in other centres.

Other cost-cutting measures the transport authority will report to an Auckland Regional Council finance meeting this morning include reducing its Maxx customer contact centre staff and delaying the return of passenger trains to Onehunga by five months, until July.

Although KiwiRail has indicated it may not be able to complete track signalling work for Onehunga by then in any case, the authority will similarly hold back timetable improvements on the southern and eastern lines in response to a potential funding shortfall of more than $60 million over three years.

That does not include a cut by the national Transport Agency of $4.5 million to what Auckland territorial councils have sought for building and maintaining bus shelters.

Potential rail fare rises in February are not directly related to the funding shortfall, but to a new fare-box policy being formulated in Wellington by the agency, which shares operating subsidies with regional councils.

Regional transport authority chief Fergus Gammie says the agency has highlighting a difference in fares between Auckland and Wellington, and he believes the proposed policy will "most likely" mean increases for his rail passengers.

"Any potential rail fare increase would be implemented from February 2010," he said in a letter to the regional council.

Although that will be three years since the cost of Auckland rail travel last rose, regional council chairman Mike Lee said more effort should be put instead into recovering an estimated 6 per cent loss of revenue from fare-dodgers.

The authority meanwhile intends reducing its purchases of spare parts for rail rolling stock, to the extent possible without affecting services, although it has ruled out skimping on heavy maintenance on safety and reliability grounds.

It has confirmed a decision to stop the daily Helensville passenger rail service on December 24, although the regional council is investigating ways of keeping trains running as far as Huapai or Waimauku without Government funding.

A potential loss to pensioners of free public transport trips around Auckland during afternoon peak periods is expected to save $1.3 million a year. That would see them joining SuperGold card holders in other centres, who are entitled to free travel in off-peak periods only, and they would have to make do with a 40 per cent discount on fares in the afternoon peaks.

Mr Gammie said in his letter that the three-year national land transport programme, an $8.7 billion Government package of which about 75 per cent is earmarked for roads, made no allowance for inflation for bus, rail or ferry services.

Neither did it include enough money for planned new rail service improvements or any funding at all to promote alternative transport, including walking and cycling, or for school and workplace travel plans.

The authority also intends curbing its use of consultants and marketing programmes, and cutting three staff from its Maxx call centre.

Mr Lee welcomed the move to reduce professional fees, but was disappointed "people working at the coalface" were to be laid off while the authority was becoming weighed down by "top heavy management."

He said regional council members and senior managers were trying to lead by example, by doing without pay rises this year, yet there appeared to be an "enormous number" of transport authority staff receiving more than $100,000 a year.

The authority's annual report lists 35 staff on salaries higher than $100,000 compared with 25 last year, and indicates a 12.5 per cent pay rise for Mr Gammie, to between $350,000 and $360,000.

A Transport Agency spokesman said the organisation was investing $2.8 billion over the next three years - an increase of $613 million - to improve Auckland's transport systems and to boost its economic growth.

OFF THE RAILS

Proposed Auckland public transport budget moves:


* Limit free public transport for pensioners to off-peak hours.


* Delay timetable improvements on the southern and eastern rail lines.


* Delay opening Onehunga branch line.


* Axe trial Helensville rail services.


* Reduce rail rolling stock spare parts purchases.


* Reduce grants to schools for travel plans.


* Curb consultants' fees.


* Cut customer services staff by three and defer IT enhancements at Maxx transport call centre.