Ruapehu College and Taumarunui High School students back passenger rail for regions

Councillor David Nottage (left), mayor Weston Kirton, Joshua Simons, Grace Burnard, Steven Mackrell and Corbin O'Shannessey at the Future is Rail conference in Wellington.

Ruapehu students are advocating for passenger rail trains to connect the regions.

Ruapehu College head girl Grace Burnard spoke at The Future is Rail national conference in Wellington and said passenger rail could promote greater equity.

“It would allow people to have better access to healthcare practices,” she said.

“As a young person, knowing there is an accessible mode of transport that is readily available for me to use would be highly beneficial, especially when thinking about university.”

Ruapehu College head boy Joshua Simons said communities in the Ruapehu region could benefit greatly from more sustainable transport options.

“Rail networks provide alternative transport that reduces the number of cars on the road.”

Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton attended the conference and said the student leaders did an amazing job in representing their schools and the district.

“Incorporating young people’s views in the development of public transport policy is crucial for creating inclusive and forward-thinking transportation systems that meet the needs of all citizens.”

Co-Founder of Save Our Trains New Zealand Patrick Rooney said currently there was a gap in the New Zealand Rail Plan.

“Freight, scenic journeys for tourists, and commuter rail within cities are included in the New Zealand Rail Plan, but not inter-regional passenger rail.”

Rooney said this needed to change.

“One of the reasons we don’t have a comprehensive passenger rail network in New Zealand is because there are blurred lines of responsibility, no one really knows whose doing what, and there isn’t coordination at the central government level.

“The point of the conference was a chance for everyone to come together to talk about what we need to do to make inter-regional passenger rail a reality.”

Rooney said inter-regional passenger rail would look like rail connections between Whanganui and Palmerston North, and Whanganui and Wellington.

“In the case of Whanganui, if people could come up from Wellington for the weekend and see the sights, go shopping, and eat at local restaurants, it would be good for jobs and for the economy.

“Or if people could live in Whanganui, and work in Palmerston North then travel to and from the cities by train.”

Rooney said the conference was attended by a diverse number of groups.

“There were representatives from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, all three big rail companies, politicians, and environmental groups.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.