Weekly Review No.32
This week we hit the tracks, KiwiRail introduced new premium carriages, Te Huia's meeting its goals and the City Rail Link finished backfilling the Maungawhau station portal.
Keep yourself informed by following our Twitter/X for real-time transport news updates, if you’ve happened to miss anything from the past week, don't worry, we've got you covered – catch up with the Weekly Review below.
A railway station in Central Otago is on the market looking for buyers with more than $1 million to spend, But there’s a twist, the six-bedroom station is actually a reproduction of the original station which sat at the other end of town.
A major South Island rail connection has reopened as temporary repairs on the Rangitata River rail bridge are completed, KiwiRail announced on Thursday, Scheduled freight trains resumed crossing the bridge on Friday.
The full costs of a post-Let's Get Wellington Moving capital are becoming clear with leaked details showing new bus stops costing more apiece than a house and a further $57 million for two new bus lanes.
Global management consultants McKinsey have delivered recommendations to KiwiRail about lifting performance at the state-owned rail operator.
Taieri Gorge railway corridor structures have been assessed as being in a satisfactory condition, but more work will be needed on the Wingatui Viaduct bridge.
Young people were being reminded the price of travel by bus will jump from Wednesday, May 1, when fare subsidies initiated by central government end.
Punters that headed along to the Nix’s football game last weekend couldn’t catch the train and were advised they should leave plenty of time to get to the stadium, Metlink had 20 extra buses on standby to keep up with demand.
Christchurch is getting a transport boot with the start of a project on Halswell Road part of SH75, new bus lanes will increase reliability and improve bus trip times, making it a viable, reliable choice for many people.
Te Huia appears to be a lightning rod for discussions of subsidies. Yet, Te Huia is not alone in receiving subsidies.
Ducting and trenching works started Monday on Mercury Lane near Karanga-a-Hape Station the trench will be used by electricity suppliers to safeguard the neighbourhood’s future power supplies.
Works are expected to take eight to 10 weeks to complete and will be delivered in two stages.
Auckland Transport has provided an update and shared images of the Rail Network Rebuild works since Stage 3a started on the Western Line over Labour Weekend 2023:
1,089 metres of formation excavated and replaced.
5,214 metres of drainage was improved.
479 metres of track replaced.
861 metres of ballast replaced.
Ōwhiro Bay has the worst bus services in the city, according to a new report by Better Buses Ōwhiro Bay, an organisation dedicated to seeing improved bus services in the suburb.
Currently, there are two buses that service Ōwhiro Bay - the 39, from the central city to Island Bay, and the 29, from the central city to Brooklyn.
City Rail Link has released images showcasing the installation of glazing for the skylights along Albert Street, the skylights will allow natural light into Te Waihorotiu station.
Public transport and rail advocacy groups are concerned that the government has not yet provided funding for the Auckland/Waikato Te Huia train service to continue beyond June 30th, 2024.
The Department of Conservation has been working with contractors to repair and repaint rotted sections of the Waikino Railway Station.
From the May magazine, ABC will become a truly Australasian publication as the New Zealand Bus and Coach Association (BCA) becomes an association partner, the partnership comes as the BCA announced it will no longer print its Circular magazine.
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Tauranga City Council has spent $41,900 over just seven months paying public transport fares for 630 of its staff, almost half of which are earning more than $100,000 a year.
The 114-year-old historic Bay of Islands Steam Ship Minerva is now closer to being back in the water after getting a new boiler, since 2010 a band of volunteers in the Bay of Islands has been working to restore the Minerva, a passenger ferry built in Auckland in 1910.
Work on the Pukekohe Station upgrade is progressing well according to new photos captured by @urbanistfromwhk on X/Twitter.
Auckland Transport is preparing to upgrade almost 4000 AT HOP card readers in preparation for contactless payments later this year, bus & pedestal reader installation is expected to be completed within the next 3 months, followed by station gates:
3,600 card readers across 1,450 buses
180 pedestal readers across 32 train stations and 16ferry terminals
110 gates at 17 stations (happening later in 2024)
Sunday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had.
Hurunui District Council agreed to a KiwiRail plan in August last year to co-fund the rebuild of Claverley Rd. Road access has been restored but erosion protection works along the coastline are incomplete.
The government's public transport subsidies are coming to an end - but how much fares will rise depends on where you are in the country.
City Rail Link has uploaded a timelapse of the Maungawhau Station platform construction, the footage was captured between November 2022 and January 2024
The new location of bus stops in Tauranga’s city centre have been described as “sub-optimal” by businesses and the commission, a permanent CBD bus interchange location was decided at a Tauranga City Council meeting on Monday.
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union has discovered KiwiRail knew buildings across more than a dozen sites contained asbestos, but never told those who worked in them, the State Owned Enterprise admits its communication could have been better, but says the risk to staff is minimal.
The latest Te Waihorotiu Station newsletter has been released by City Rail Link, the Wellesley Street entrance building's temporary scaffolding started to be removed on Monday, and CRL also shared a street-level update from the Victoria Street ramp entrance.
On the passenger concourse level ceiling installation continues to progress and the first set of glass balustrades have been installed on the concourse level, crews have also started plastering and finishing one of the four station crossbeams.
@thirdculturebot on X/Twitter also captured a couple of photos of the City Rail Link crews removing the scaffolding from Te Waihorotiu Station on Monday.
Te Huia is running a passenger survey between 22 April - 31 May 2024, the survey is hard copy and open to passengers travelling on board Te Huia only, those who complete the survey go in the draw to win a pair of JBL Noise Cancelling Headphones.
A two-year review of Te Huia, the Waikato to Auckland passenger rail service, completed by Waikato Regional Council shows it has delivered or is close to delivering all the targets set by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi Board.
The report found that patronage growth is strong, with average demand targets of 250 passengers per weekday and 100 passengers on Saturdays being exceeded every month it also found. the farebox recovery target of 15 per cent is close to being achieved, noting the national average is 11 per cent and Te Huia has a 25 per cent lower subsidy per passenger kilometre than the Auckland metro network.
A time-lapse video capturing the progress of City Rail Link crews as they backfill the Maungawhau station portal has been posted on the CRL YouTube channel, the timelapse shows the work completed between October 2023 & April 2024.
85,000 tonnes of dirt now cover the structures built below, on average a convoy of 45 trucks a day transported backfill spoil from quarries in south-east Auckland to the Maungawhau site, measured monthly, the amount of spoil was the equivalent of 13,000 cars or 100 blue whales.
Compaction has prepared the restored hill for future use by Eke Panuku, Flower St will be re-aligned to its former alignment.
The April Karanga-a-Hape Station newsletter has been released by City Rail Link, CRL has shared images of the interior fitout progress at the Mercury Lane entrance.
At Beresford Square work outside the entrance progressed well in April with the waterproof layer now 90% complete, testing and commissioning for the 40-metre escalator are now underway.
Works on the platform tunnels have been focused on fit-out activities, the concave GRC (glass-reinforced concrete) panels are almost all installed and with 500 metres of panelling in total, the team are 98% complete, the remaining panels have items behind them such as fire suppression equipment, which needs to be installed before 100% of the panelling can go in.
Above the GRC panels is a line of aluminium signage band panels, with more than half of the 500 metres now installed.
Great Journeys NZ posted a teaser on Facebook with the caption: 'Something exciting is departing the station tomorrow…' The image appeared to be the roof of a train carriage, NZ Transit Buzz understands the teaser related to Great Journeys NZ's Scenic Plus train carriages.
Existing rolling stock has been upgraded to become Scenic Plus premium carriages, they have received an updated interior fit-out, updated seating layout and a new livery.
@sbaker1428 on X/Twitter popped past Te Waihorotiu Station to look at the scaffolding removal at the Wellesley St entrance and the ongoing footpath widening works on Albert Street.
Auckland Transport is expanding its Fareshare scheme to any Auckland-based business with 5+ employees, the scheme has options for 5 or 7 days of travel at a subsidised rate of 25, 50 or 75% with the business billed the agreed percentage.
The April edition of the Maungawhau Station newsletter has been released by City Rail Link, CRL has shared several photos inside Maungawhau’s four tunnels, inside the tunnels, crews continue to install traction cables and containment for the 48KV cables.
CRL has also shared photos of inside the station’s main building where crews have installed ceiling panel supports as well as electrical cable trays.
The newly installed skylight is letting natural light flow into the station concourse.
Around the station precinct, planting season has begun on the streets surrounding the western area of the construction site.
Great Journeys NZ officially announced the addition of a purpose-built Scenic Plus carriage to its fleet on the TranzAlpine service, Great Journeys will be adding the Scenic Plus carriages across all of its rail experiences.
Tauranga City Council is working with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council on the rollout of bus lanes on Cameron Road which is expected in mid to late 2024 after being deferred earlier in the year.
The west side of Dublin Street including Market Street in Picton has reopened after kerbing and pathways were replaced, work is already underway to reopen the section east of Market Street, which requires design work and the reinstatement of the level crossing.
Dublin Street has been inaccessible since July 2023 to facilitate the relocation of underground services and the construction of an overbridge over the rail line, as part of KiwiRail's Inter-island Resilient Connection (iReX) project, which has since been cancelled.
Metlink's bus ridership is maintaining an upward trajectory surpassing pre-COVID April 2019 figures by 10%. April 2024 also boasted a reliability rate of 99.3%.
KiwiRail has shared a video explaining the new Great Journeys NZ premium carriages.
KiwiRail is seeking the community’s views on which of the Fox or Bell Street level crossings in Featherston should get an upgrade, and which should close, consultation opens 1 May and people have until 15 May to have their say.
Auckland Transport is starting works on Davis Crescent in Newmarket ahead of removing the level crossing on Kingdon Street, AT plans to install a wider footpath on Davies Cres, a painted crossing on Short St & upgraded lighting.
A Safe Kapiti in conjunction with Kāpiti Carers and the Kāpiti Health Advisory Group, has produced a pamphlet, showing the best options for residents of Kāpiti to travel to hospital appointments.
A ferry service will be put to the test this month on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour following the closure of a vital pedestrian bridge and business lifeline.
KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy travelled to South Korea last month as part of the ongoing wrangle to exit a shipbuilding contract for Cook Strait’s cancelled mega ferries.
Imagine a modern fully electric train, travelling at up to 160km per hour, with regular departures, seven days a week, from Waitemata (Britomart) station, with a stop in Hamilton but then finishing its trip in Tauranga.
Convenience and the chance to snack at a cafe or crochet en route are among the reasons Te Huia passengers want to keep the train service.
City Rail Link has shared Geneva AM's performance at Te Waihorotiu Station's underground platforms, Geneva AM's performance marks the kickoff of New Zealand Music Month for 2024.
The Waikato Regional Council’s two-year review of the Waikato to Auckland passenger rail Te Huia claims the service is “on track” with customer satisfaction at 98 per cent for 2023 and an average of about 298 passengers on each weekday in 2024, but the review also acknowledges 315 individual records of Te Huia train delays last year.
The Taxpayers' Union is calling on the Government to end the rort that sees millions of dollars funnelled away from motorists into the inefficient and expensive Te Huia Train Service.
Auckland Airport has released updated renders of its new domestic jet terminal, the updated renders show the Eastern Forecourt and Inner Terminal Road which will be used by public transport services.
If you are looking for something to watch this weekend, Australian YouTuberTaitset has done a fantastic video where he talks about Melbourne’s Upfield line for 38 minutes, the video takes a look at the whole line, including some history and features you can see along the line today.
Two thoughts:
1) Apart from McKinsey, has anyone ever benefitted from McKinsey advice?
2) Recently watched a doco on Eero Saarinen, isn't our airport architecture dreadfully uninspiring