Passenger rail inquiry advises govt to investigate four new North Island services

An inquiry into passenger rail has put four new North Island routes on the table, from Wellington to Auckland and the East Coast.

The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has recommended the government launch scoping studies for four rail services; Auckland to Wellington, Auckland to Tauranga, Napier to Wellington and an extension of the Capital Connection from Palmerston North to Feilding.

The report notes that the country's rail network is made up of more than 4000 kilometres of track, with five main routes, mostly used for freight: In the North Island, there are routes from Wellington to Auckland and Hamilton to Kawerau. In the South Island; Rolleston to Greymouth, Christchurch to Picton, and Lyttelton to Invercargill.

It says the national rail network contributes up to $2.1 billion to the economy each year, carrying 13 percent of New Zealand's net-tonne kilometres of freight.

The inquiry began in August last year, tasked with investigating the viability of passenger trains in underserved communities or those where rail links were removed, as well as evaluating existing inter-regional routes, like the Capital Connection.

The inquiry received 1752 written submissions: 1655 from individuals, 21 from local and central government, 33 from businesses and industry representatives, and 43 from community groups.

Feedback showed a desire for an overnight service between Auckland and Wellington. The alternative would be one during the day, with more stops than the route currently running between those two cities, the Northern Explorer.

The report pointed out that a Napier-to-Wellington passenger service would require "substantial investment into new infrastructure and rolling stock" (trains and carriages), as there were currently no train stations, or spare trains, in Napier and Hastings.

"We understand that the Napier-Wellington line has capacity for a new service, but some upgrading work would be needed," the report said.

"However, there might be capacity issues on the Wellington metro rail network, particularly at Wellington station."

Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee chairperson and MP for Northcote Shanan Halbert said the routes they had recommended were the "low-hanging fruit" of all the options - the routes easiest to get off the ground.

The current Labour government has put $8b into rail already, mostly for basics like track repairs and upgrades.

Halbert said the sector wanted clear leadership - that was, one agency to take charge of future work, whether that be Waka Kotahi or KiwiRail.

"One lead agency needs to be established in order to start the scoping of work."

Almost half of all submitters referenced climate change, noting passenger rail could help New Zealand meet its decarbonisation goals.

As it stands, transport is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand, accounting for approximately 17 percent of gross domestic emissions and 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

During the inquiry there were several severe weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused widespread flooding and land slips across the upper North Island, causing significant damage to the national rail network and demonstrated the need for investment in resilient infrastructure.

Halbert said this reinforced the need to build with resilience in mind.

But ACT and National disagreed with the recommendations in the report. ACT said a focus on rail while roads were plagued by congestion and potholes - and while new infrastructure was needed in cyclone-affected regions - "has been a misuse of the time of many people".

National said passenger rail should be launched and operated by regional councils, and central government focus on maintaining its current transport assets and infrastructure.

Halbert said it would be "unfair of any party to rule out any option at this stage".

"This is the largest number of submissions that I've seen in any inquiry in my time, and particularly in support of."