Rail popular but late

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee admitted yesterday that delays to western rail services were unacceptable, but rejected a claim they were forcing commuters to buy more cars.

He accused Waitakere mayor Bob Harvey of becoming "histrionic" in suggesting many West Auckland passengers had already given up on rail and were clogging up roads by buying cheap Japanese cars instead.

"Bob has every right to be frustrated at these delays, which are unacceptable, but he has gone right over the top to say many users have given up, because the figures indicate the direct opposite," Mr Lee said.

"More people are using trains than ever."

Mr Harvey won support from his city council last night for a recommendation that it summon the chief executive of regional rail operator Connex, Chris White, to appear before it next month to explain his failure to get trains running on time after almost a year in the job.

This follows an admission by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, a regional council subsidiary, that only 50 per cent of services on the western rail line ran on time or less than five minutes late in the two months to May 31. Transport authority officials have offered to join Mr White, who arrived from Australia last year to lead Connex's takeover of the regional rail network, in fronting up to the Waitakere council.

Authority chief executive Alan Thompson, another recent Australian import, acknowledged disappointment last night that on-time performance had not improved.