The Future Is Rail

2024-04-02: Submit on National's Transport General Policy Statement

There are only a few days left to make your submission to the government's disastrous transport plan. Don't know where to start? We can help!
📑 We've developed a guide with 5, 15 and 30+min options
🎉 We're hosting online 'Submission parties' this week
Everything is here: bit.ly/transport-gps
#nzpol

How does Te Huia's subsidy compare to roads? There is no doubt the train service between Auckland and Hamilton is highly subsidised - but roads are too, a researcher says.

RNZ points out that each kilometre of the Waikato Expressway cost nearly as much to build as Te Huia's entire whole FIVE YEAR operational budget. #nzpol #kikorangi

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

We’ve teamed up with climate & transport advocates around the motu to help NZers have a say on the government’s disastrous draft transport plan (GPS 2024). On our new #transport4all site, you'll find lots of actions you can take, even if you can only spare 5 min transport4all.org.nz

Rally

If you're in Wellington and care about the future of transport in Aotearoa, please come to Parliament TOMORROW (Tues 19 Mar) at 5pm.
The draft plan is a disaster for everyone - including motorists. We need to do everything we can to stop it becoming reality transport4all.org.nz/rally #nzpol

Submission Guide

Working with orgs like Climate Club NZ & Women in Urbanism, we @thefutureisrail.bsky.social have developed resources like a submission guide, with actions you can take in 5-min, 15-min & 30+min. Please use your voice before 2 April (Tuesday after Easter)! #nzpol transport4all.org.nz/submission-g...

a collection of icons showing issues with roads (e.g. orange road cones, pollution etc) vs icons highlighting public transport (e.g. trains, bikes, buses). The overlaid text reads "There'd be less of this if there was more of this"

Team. If you're one of the millions of NZers who use public transport, cycleways or footpaths (or you care about those who do), PLEASE consider supporting our new campaign #transport4all. It's in response to the govt's disastrous land transport draft that is currently open to submissions #nzpol

Cheaper buses helped those in 'transport poverty' Cheaper public transport in Christchurch meant more people on lower incomes had more money for everyday essentials, including food, a new study...

"Our findings show that for many who live in public housing, access to reduced fares on public transport reduces their financial stress, gives them the ability to get to places they need, removes anxiety, and improves their wellbeing and social contact."

Nicola Willis says Government committed to coalition transport projects despite report showing they could cost double  | Newshub She denied the new estimates had dented National's economic credibility.

$46 billion for roads, while trains, buses, and ferries face cuts and underfunding. That is not a balanced transport policy. It's ideology, not policy. Our economy, environment, and social cohesion will pay the price. #nz www.newshub.co.nz/home/politic...

New Zealand by train listed as fourth best place in world by The New York Times The New York Times has voted New Zealand by train as the fourth best place to visit this year in the iconic '52 places' list.

Great to see our very own Dave Macpherson quoted in this article 👏👏👏 #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Statement in response to the Interislander ferries debacle from @thefutureisrail.bsky.social www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO23...

It goes without saying that we can’t have passenger trains if the rail network is gone

What will happen to Interislander ferries without Government funding? Two new ferries had been expected to replace the ageing fleet, but the project would now be wound down.

Pulling on the Interislander thread could unravel our national rail network. So, new ferries must be rail enabled. Otherwise the implications for employment, economic growth, and climate action are unfathomable. www.stuff.co.nz/travel/trave...

Petitions - New Zealand Parliament Petitions are addressed to the House of Representatives and ask that the House do something about a policy or law, or put right a local or private concern.

Our friends at GenZero are  fighting to keep Auckland's light rail on the agenda of the new incoming government. To show your support, please consider signing their petition petitions.parliament.nz/5cff9d85-b36...

Twelve billionaires’ climate emissions outpollute 2.1m homes, analysis finds Research shows impact from lifestyles and investments of likes of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Elon Musk

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Strong support from the BOP Regional Transport Committee for Tauranga to Hamilton + Auckland passeng... By Lindsey Horne

The 'Golden Triangle' of Auckland, Waikato & the Bay of Plenty (BOP) is home to over 50% of NZ's population, and that's expected to rise in the coming decades. Calls for passenger rail connections between the regions are getting louder. Read Lindsey's report from the BOP regional transport committee

Roads, rail, cycleways, bus lanes, footpaths... they're all important infrastructure that connect people and help the economy. And yet, here in Aotearoa New Zealand, the needs of the private car get priority.

An empty suburban street in nz

An empty rural road on a misty day in nz

Imagine hearing:
- We just don't have the population density to make roads work.
- We are too hilly and our roads are too narrow.
- No one wants to travel by road.
Those statements are clearly ridiculous, and yet, they are regularly applied to trains.

And empty road stretches off into the distance under a cloudy sky

Another example of an empty NZ road. This one in a hilly area

A photo of a new, empty expressway, taken from inside a train

It's annoying when people say they once saw a bus/train/cycleway with only a few people on it & use that as an excuse not to invest in them. Do they say the same about roads?

Te Huia the only train service sanctioned over 'signal passed at danger' events Almost 30 other trains - including eight passenger services - also broke the rules recently, but were not blocked from running services.

Te Huia the only train service sanctioned over 'signal passed at danger' events

It's easy to work on a train if you need to, or just relax and enjoy the landscapes you are passing through. 50-54 Female, Otago

The train meant we could travel as a family with young babies (at the time). Walk up and down. Look out windows etc., without some air hostess telling us to sit down or to stop loitering around the toilets. So much easier to feed the children too. 45-49 Female, Auckland

Living in Germany, I had the pleasure of being able to travel easily, comfortably and affordably around the country and around Europe on trains. It's so much nicer than flying and often just as fast or even faster, as you can arrive at the station just before the train leaves, and most train stations are in the centers of the cities and towns. And it's much more environmentally friendly than flying or driving. I have enjoyed night trains as well. 50-54 Female, Otago

Here are three more of the responses we received. From safety to stress free; affordable, productive and sustainable, trains are a great way to get around. 

Why do you like to be able to travel by train in Aotearoa New Zealand? What train route would you like to see?

When I was a child in the 1990s the family would regularly take the train from Kapiti to Hawkes' Bay, where we had a holiday property. We would meet my Dad who had driven up by himself at Waipukurau station for the final drive. I always enjoyed the train much more than the car journey, which was often nauseating and scary. 30-34 Female, Wellington

I went from Christchurch to Greymouth on the Trans Alpine on my first ever solo bike packing journey. It allowed me to solo travel and feel safe. I also felt like I would have never visited the West Coast because I'm not a confident driver crossing the Pass. 35-39 Female, Wellington

We took our daughter on the TranzAlpine, who was 8yo at the time. For her it was a wonderful trip, somewhere she could move between carriages and enjoy the open-air viewing area. Having recently made the same journey by car, I gazed jealously at the train as it glided by. This car is a squeeze, with carefully planned rest stops and frequent arguments. 45-49 Female, Canterbury

New Zealanders want trains!

Along with Women in Urbanism we asked NZers to share their stories of what long distance trains meant to them and we got hundreds of responses. Here's just a small sample

Turning the tide for public transport Better Whanganui public transport is a passion for professional musician Anthonie Tonnon.

Great to see our friend Anthonie Tonnon featured here www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-ch...

Slow train coming: only a genuine shift to rail will put NZ on track to reduce emissions Both major parties are promising major road projects this election. Meanwhile, the potential for passenger and freight rail to help meet the country’s climate goals seems stuck at the station.

"Clearly, roads need to be maintained, and New Zealand’s road network has to be made more resilient to adverse weather impacts. But expanding road capacity at the expense of a more efficient rail system and improved public transport is a recipe for increasing emissions."