Union calls for Overlander service to be saved

Calls have been made for the Government to step in and save the North Island's last remaining long-distance passenger rail service.

Rail operator Toll NZ yesterday announced that the Overlander service between Auckland and Wellington would be scrapped at the end of September, with the loss of 35 jobs.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union general secretary Wayne Butson today described the decision as "insane".

"To find ourselves in New Zealand with the two most popular cities losing their last remaining long-distance passenger train is just absolute lunacy and it's very sad for New Zealand," he told National Radio.

Every other developed country in the world was trying to generate better rail traffic, both on commuter trains and long-distance transport.

He acknowledged that the service has been suffering from diminishing patronage for years and had been losing money but said the Government should step in to ensure its continuing viability.

The loss of the service showed the "inequity and imbalance" in terms of the way transport was treated by the government, Mr Butson said.

The fundamental flaw in the survival of the rail system was that it was based on user-pays.

"We have a rail network which is supposed to pay its entire cost of operation through the operator at the same time as we have a national roading system which is available for any commercial entity to use at minimal cost when the vast burden of the infrastructure is paid for by the private motorist.

"I think there has to be a subsidy from the Government for the renaissance of the rail network in terms of the public interest, the public good, and the nation's good in terms of diminishing our dependence on overseas petroleum imports."

Toll's corporate affairs manager Sue Foley said the decision had not been made in haste, and that the service had been running at a substantial loss for many years.

"New Zealanders may love their rail, but they unfortunately don't like travelling on long-distance trains. The 12-hour journey is just too long."

The length of the journey, along with the advent of cheaper airfares had determined the demise of the Overlander, Ms Foley said.

"People voted with their feet and walked away from it."

Toll had talked to the government in recent months about the future of the service, Ms Foley said.

"But the reality is that they could see, like we could see, that the public could not support it."

Toll NZ chief executive David Jackson said yesterday that significant investment would also have been needed to replace the ageing carriage fleet.

Mr Jackson said there was certainly a place in New Zealand for tourist trains such as the Tranz Coastal and Tranz Alpine in the South Island.

"These are shorter journeys that people can easily manage in a day and fit in other activities," he said.

The company ended the overnight train services between Wellington and Auckland in November 2004.

In March last year the company cut several North Island towns from the Overlander's schedule.

The final train will run on September 30.

- NZPA