You see it all over the great cities of the world."
Smith said New Zealand's rail system has lacked investment for decades
"New Zealand used to have a First World rail system, but it's fallen behind.
"We've got a million people in this part of the Lower North Island, so Wellington to Palmerston North and up to the Wairarapa - that is working and should be invested in."
In November, a business case was presented to the Government recommending a $762 million investment in a fleet of hybrid electric trains for the Wairarapa and Manawatū lines.
The absence of funding in the Budget has disappointed Horizons Regional Council chair Rachel Keedwell.
"When we heard it wasn't in the budget, gobsmacked I guess, is probably the best word and it's just incomprehensible," she said.
"Rail used to be the way of getting around the country.
"I remember when I was growing up you had multiple services up to Auckland.
"We've just shifted to the car and building roads and unfortunately, that's been at the detriment of these other modes of transport and we need to shift back and get people to use [trains] and make them attractive and viable services that actually compete with the car.
"This proposal would give up to four services a day, return trips.
"So it means you can go to Wellington for part of the day and you're not stuck there; you've got flexibility, you've got options, and it would also run on the weekends.
The business case was supported by 15 mayors in the Lower North Island and had committed funding from Waka Kotahi, Horizons Regional Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
An additional $360 million was needed from central government to enable the full investment- an investment the business case estimated would return $1.83 for every dollar spent.
If the Government didn't come to the party, Greater Wellington Council and Horizons Regional Council would need to cover the 39 per cent funding gap, something Keedwell said ratepayers cannot afford.
"We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars here which ratepayers just can't fund.
"If you think about what happens if we don't replace these trains, by the time the lifespan of them comes to the end, you actually end up with increased congestion and increased emissions, which is completely opposite of what the Government is seeking to do.
"If we look at the Wairarapa line - people travelling between Masterton and Wellington - they've got more than six services a day and that's really well utilised.
"I have no doubt that the same thing will happen here, particularly when you look at Levin halfway down the coast and how that has massive growth and is projected to keep growing.
"They currently have no easy transport other than a car through to Wellington or back up here to Palmerston North."
One of the benefits of the business case's preferred investment was diverting 23.8 million car trips over a 40-year period, resulting in preventing 600,000 to 1.6 million tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere.
Keedwell said priorities needed to be reassessed,
"We can't continue on business as usual and hope that [climate change] goes away, or hope that it's not as bad as everyone's saying.
"We actually have to do something, and this is one step - you know - actually fund the infrastructure that we need and stop funding the infrastructure that we don't need."
She said there was no choice because of climate change.
"We need to stop buying cars, we need to stop building roads, we need to actually invest properly in the infrastructure needed to provide a viable alternative, whether that's trains, buses, walking, cycling.
"Humans are comfortable doing what's easiest and so we need some really strong leadership from the Government to say, 'This is a crisis and these are the things we need to do if we're going to react to that crisis'."
The Government did increase spending on rail, but last month's Budget gave more money to roads.
Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere said the Government was "committed to supporting the restoration of the local rail network, to improve resilience and to support freight rail and metropolitan rail growth".
"This is why we've invested in new rolling stock, and included the Capital Connection in the half-price fares discount, which has been extended for another two months.
"As part of Budget 2022, we are investing $349.2 million to complete KiwiRail's like-for-like rolling stock replacement programme.
"This programme will fund up to 29 light-duty, low-emission locomotives, some of which will be used to pull Capital Connection inter-regional passenger trains.
"This investment is stabilising the national rail network after years of underfunding.
"The Budget process always requires a range of different trade-offs to be made, and not every initiative is successful, but we will continue to work with local governments to support inter-regional rail projects."
While the news wasn't what the business-case partners had hoped for, Mayor Smith was determined to find a way to save the Capital Connection.
"This was an opportunity to have a truly integrated service with Wellington.
"We understand the pressures of cost of living and health priorities, but actually climate and transport priorities are right up there as well.
"We're looking to meet with the Finance Minister, various MPs, and we hope that there is a plan B or another opportunity to ensure that this service is enhanced, and in some ways saved."
Keedwell said time was running out to save the popular commuter service.
"The rolling stock, so the carriages, are not usable beyond six or seven years from now.
"It's not like you can just pop down to the shop and buy a whole new train set, there's a really long process."
Because Capital Connection "ticks so many boxes", she said the lack of funding "doesn't make any sense".
Councils across the Lower North Island remain hopeful their business case will find favour, before the Capital connection is disconnected and commuters return to their cars.
