KEY POINTS:
Do Aucklanders complain too much? The Auckland Regional Transport Authority is putting in a number of measures for Auckland rail users who are suffering ongoing delays and cancellations of services.
This includes reductions on monthly tickets and some complimentary tickets. ARTA says there has to be some "pain before gain" as the western line is improved.
But Wellington readers say they have been having such rail problems for years and have to grin and bear it!
Here is the latest selection of your views:
Rob
No matter which way we look at this we are still paying for the tickets. If the money comes from Ontrack Taxes cover this, if it comes from Maxx rates cover this and if it comes from Veolia Transport they just put ticket prices up. I think this is an excuse to cover up the fact that the rail network is far more run down than we realise. Over the years the government and private entities that have owned the railway network have left it to rack and ruin. I love the fact they the wish to re-open Onehunga and Build a rail link to Manukau but what is the point of adding to a railway network that is in great need of a mass upgrade and what more we need more trains as I had yet another morning commute as a sardine. Campaign for Better Transport for been very proactive of lobbying for additional railway lines but I think they have lost sight of the current network. I would like to see Electrification, A modern rail fleet, working signals and adoption of high speed railway track.
Yvonne
They have got to be the best way to travel if they are on time. I have been catching them since 1990 in Auckland and I have just stopped because the disruptions were becoming a twice weekly not a fortnightly occurrence! Signal failures etc have always been a problem and you always need to carry a book or something to pass the time. But I am not getting back on a train until the western line is finished!
John
Having just cancelled my monthly train pass I think I am qualified to comment on this. Reverting to the motorway has saved me up to an hour and a half each day as compared to the late running trains. A big contributing factor in the decision was Veolias lack of planning and ability to cope with problems. There were very poor processes in place when things go wrong - although they are getting a fair bit of practice now. In the end the train experience has proved to be an exercise in frustration and one of the poorest examples of customer service it has been my misfortune to experience. There have also been numerous cases now where my 12 year old daughter has been left stranded half way along her journey and a parent required to "rescue" her. Finally, to the ARC who so paternally told Aucklanders to just be patient, I am very pleased they have up to 5 - 6 hours a week to wait around for public transport, so you would have to guess they either dont have any outside commitments or dont mind giving up a life outside of work. I do.
Rob
I sat in an internal Auckland City Council meeting some 4 years ago which included a presentation on the rail issues that were going to face the Auckland commuter. I cant believe that 4 years on the issues presented are exactly what is still occurring. How after 4 years have the issues not been progressively resolved rather than it continuing to get worse before it will get any better? Is it any wonder that people choose cars as their primary transport of choice? Even the popularity of the northern bus service threatens to snatch defeat from seeming victory because the parking requirements have been grossly underestimated. Governments (central & local) are notoriously deficient at meeting people's needs. Give me the choice and I will make the best decision for myself nearly every time. This is unlikely to include using public transport. What about encouraging people to use other transport options with smaller footprints per person? Why is a motorcycle treated the same as a car? Why does it continue to be a game of Russian roulette to ride a bike? What about having buses and bikes sharing the same dedicated lane? Now there is a fair match up!
John
There should be electronic signs at railway stations such as seen at many bus stops that give an updated time to expect when the next bus will arrive, these will show when the next train is due. Passengers can then see these signs, and on the frequent occasions when the signs indicate the train will be arriving in half an hour, one hour, two hours, or more time, they can then abandon the train for the nearest bus stop to ensure they get to where they want to go more quickly. As for Jodie being kept on a train at a level crossing in Wellington for two hours - she and her fellow passengers could "do" the railway company for kidnapping and holding a trainload of hostages in this "prison on wheels" against their will, instead of allowing them their right to get out and bus their way to their destination. The company would be taken to court on multiple charges of kidnapping, and on being found guilty the bosses could be given a taxpayer-funded "holiday" in bedrooms being bedroom and ensuite all in one tiny room just as convicted criminals get for their deeds, and the victims in compensation be given one-year free unlimited bus passes on all of Wellingtons road-based transport services.
Simon
Check out the rail problems in Sydney over the past few weeks (www.smh.com.au) - the Premier has to apologise - why do Kiwis roll over and get screwed by abysmal service and dont do anything about it - what a bunch of gutless, voiceless wimps, for gods sake it is time some managers, companies and politicians were made accountable - in both Wellington and Auckland. You get what you deserve.
Annamaria
The focus should be on getting trains in and out of the Britomart in alternating directions. The current system of one way in and out is inadequate short and long term. This should be before increasing the throughput. I heard that the Onehunga line is opening obviously to carry the airport line into the city, why would the govt. not consider running rail alongside or through the middle of the motorway carriages? Going underground to let passengers on and off? This seems to be the easiest and most direct way of improving the rail system in the short term? Why why why is everything so hard...
Paul
I do not use Auckland rail network, I have travelled on enough third world systems around the world. Do we still have chickens and goats sharing the passenger compartments on our diesel trains?
Dave
I am based in Wellington. We must be careful not to turn this into an Auckland v Wellington thing, politicians just love that sort of diversion. The main issue is that public transport needs to grow in both those places and cities. The government says it wants to reduce the nations carbon footprint but has done relatively little in the transport field. It must now make massive efforts to start making sure that railways and low carbon emission buses prosper - everywhere.
David Cawood
Why is it every time there is a story about Auckland, the "Knock Auckland" brigade get all parochial such as Mr Jamieson? Wellington has been extremely fortunate for the past 100 years to have continual investment in public transport, rail, then electrification and recent investment in trolley buses with regional and national funding. Auckland and the rest of the country, which are not where the majority of civil servants live, have had a constant decline in funding. After the completion of the Southern and North Western lines in Auckland early last century, the only investment was to build a decentralised railway station in the 1930s, which you had to catch a connecting tram then bus to the CBD. So the Auckland region has grown 10 fold at least, but the fixed rail infrastructure was neglected, 100km of tramline closed and the replacement trolleybus system closed and the Onehunga branch closed, which is now reopening after 30 years. So yes there are growing pains with the Western Line duplication and there is always pain before the gain. Auckland has one hell of a lot of catch up for successive local bodies and Governments ineptitude not wanting to ask for or invest too much in Auckland infrastructure to the cries of foul from the Southern constituents. I hope these first positive steps in Auckland public transport and the predictable teething is only the beginning, and I look forward to the complaints from down south about the amount being spent on the catch up and forward planning in a revitalised Auckland planning beyond petroleum and beyond gridlock. I also praise Wellywood for its forward planning as opposed to getting all
parochial.
Jodie
You dont know how lucky you are! We in Wellington dream of delays as minor as the ones you are experiencing on the Western Line. Delays, derailments, signal failures are a daily occurrence here on services that have not improved since the 1950s. Recently I was sitting on a train fifty metres from a station for 2 hours due to a problem at a level crossing. We were not allowed to get off the train. We didnt see that on the Auckland-centric news that night. Passengers to Kapiti have had to chip in to pay for taxis when they were left in Plimmerton because of signal failures. No buses were supplied for the final leg of their journey. We would get back in our cars but the roads are worse...
Geoff
The government created this problem due to lack of investment, so they are the ones who should be making the apology to all train users and providing the compensating.
Meg Andrews
Blaming the double tracking work for the dreadful "service" on the West Aucklandline is a smoke screen.For years I have, as a former train commuter, been tossed off trains and abandoned on platforms miles from my destination, been left waiting for trains that have simply never arrived, been subjected to painfully slow trips home because someone in Wellington mucked up the signals and endured breakdowns and even smoke filled carriages.Telling commuters that there is pain before gain is just another excuse and I have serious reservations that everything will be wonderful when the construction work is completed!
Frazer
Not enough! $5 to $10. So what! Half price would be more like it. Most people would not buy monthly tickets at the moment anyway. Why would they pay alot of money for a monthly pass when the service is not reliable. I would only get the train on a day by day basis at the moment as it is not reliable. What compensation is there for day by day passengers?
Susi Lay
I have been late to work several times over the past few weeks due to unreliable train service. As I am paid on an hourly wage I am missing out on pay almost every week due to late trains. I have recently refused to pay when my 6.26am service from Ranui to Britomart was running 30 minutes late. The response from the conductor was to get off at the next station or pay the fare, seeing that all other passengers are paying! I also refused to do this and went to see a manager/supervisor upon arrival in Britomart (more than 40 minutes behind schedule) I was told that I should have paid, seeing I still used their service. I have since been bringing my car to work, seeing this is a cheaper and more convenient option.
Peter
As is usual,just like Telecom,these "offers" to buy off the majority of upset customers so as to lower the public profile of the "upset" are so laughable that to actually announce it as if it was SO generous of the organisation to solve it this way leaves me helpless with scorn.
Terry Sawyer
Please note, the monthly $160.00 pass used to cost $145.00 until the price was increased in February. So commuters are being given peanuts in compensation after earlier being asked to pay more for a degraded service.I catch the southern line train and on Monday took 2.5 hours to get from Takanini to work in the CBD. Our 6.40am train broke down at Homai and it took an hour to arrange for the following train to push it (empty)to Otahuhu. Meanwhile 5 later trains were queued up behind it so literally hundreds of passengers were held up.
Neil Jamieson
Aww boo hoo - so now the bleating Aucklanders want compensation for train delays - well build a bridge and get over it. We in Wellington suffer more delays than you do but we get on with it. Enough of this crapola from Aucklanders.
Rob
Compensation? I recall several years ago my last trip on the western line. It ran on time for the first time ever, the connecting service wasn't running though. I dont getto receive compensation, as a taxpayer I get to pay it, and the service is of no benefit. More roads!
Janine
I do not think the compensation is nearly enough. The lack of communication from the rail company has been deafening (sic). The bus drivers at the stations know more about the schedule and trying to find a rail staff member to assist is next to impossible so it will be interesting to see how things progress over the next few weeks. I think they should abandon all attempts to take money off customers until they can guarantee a better more reliable service. After all arent Aucklanders being encouraged to take public transport....yeah right!
Deb
If you do not buy a monthly ticket - what good is the discount to you?? What about the passengers who do not buy these monthly tickets? What compensation do they get? They need to keep staff more up-to-date with what is happening, half the time the carriage staff cannot tell us what is happening or why we are delayed.
Mary
No!
Annette
It is obvious that this company does not appreciate its customers even when they have disrupted their lives totally. Now if you are a few minutes late at your kids day-care at the end of the day you are charged a penalty fee for keeping staff there later than their normal hours of duty, then you have to take home tired kids & cook meals.... and all that disruption to your life is only $5? Really, if it were not for all these loyal customers these companies would be out of business & not making the wonderful profits they are! Give back to the people that support you!!!! It is their right & not a privilege and definitely worth more than $5.
Hayley
And what about the Southern line, which suffers a breakdown, cancellation of service or unexplained delays at least once a week? No wonder people are turned off public transport. I would drive myself if I had my own vehicle, the train and bus systems are both ridiculous. $5-$10 and the chance of a free trip as compensation? No way! That is not nearly enough.
Matt
I do not know what Auckland is going to do about our public transport system. It is such a shambles and one wonders if we are past the point of no return? The bus from my house to work and back is over $8 dollars a day. These poor train users are paying over $5 dollars a day for an unreliable service. Dear Helen and Mr Hubbard - its home time and I have my car keys in hand.
Natasha Barker
Sorry, what happened to those that have 10 ride tickets or even the odd one train trip here and there, when it is risked. Why not reduce the price again to what it was a few months back, until it is sorted at least! I have given up and wont bother catching the train again until the work is near completion or until I hear that the trains are working somewhat right again. The bus gets my money now, so far so good there, even though slightly more expensive, but I do look forward to the train ride again, hopefully one day in the not too distant future. And as for that overbridge at Glen Eden, Oh woo is me, what an eyesore!
Rajiv
Why do airlines have to fork out up to 10 times the price of a ticket when the railways compensate passengers between 5 and 10 dollars?
Dan
No delay is acceptable, hence no discount can fully recompense. Our rail system is in the dark ages. And it is not just that it is old and slow; it is also poorly managed. Why on earth should one train breaking down delay all subsequent trains for the rest of the day? I do not know why, but that is what happens. Us kiwis seem to have no idea when it comes to running any sort of efficient professional service.
Jessica
Definately not! What about the Southern Line passengers also? We have just as many disruptions. One of the main problems is that no-one is able to tell you what the heck is going on when its delayed!.
