About 90 people attended last night’s Hamilton commuter rail campaign meeting, organised by the Campaign For Better Transport, including the CEO of Kiwirail and Labour and National MPs.
The meeting, in the Hamilton City Council rooms, was enthusiastic about a daily Waikato to Auckland train service, using refurbished Silver Fern railcars.
Campaign organiser Jon Reeves tells us what happened:
It was a well attended meeting. Ham. City Councillor Dave MacPhearson said it was the largest turnout at a Waikato Rail meeting to date. Approx 85/90 people attended which is high for a city one tenth the size of Auckland.
Wide range of attendees from about a dozen uni students to businesspeople, mothers and retired folk attending. All demanding the trains to hit the tracks as soon as possible.
Labour MP Sue Moroney attacked the Govt and the local National MPs for not promoting local issues which the community wanted. She also exposed there is a report which has “gone missing” about the benefits of electrifying the Hamilton to Papakura section of the NIMT. The report should have been tabled to Steven Joyce mid this year, but has “gone missing”. Funny that!
Jim Quinn, CEO of KiwiRail, said if these commuter trains went ahead, with only a few Silver Fern railcars available, the issue will be how to obtain more rolling stock fast enough.
National MP David Bennett was repetitive that it was the expressway or rail. Everyone laughed that off, as it is clear the difference between an expressway for $2,000,000,000 and a yearly $700,000 NZTA train subsidy would not stop the road from being built.
Councillor Dave MacPhearson said the entire region would benefit from rail, and that it has to happen. His council will sit down with NZTA and KiwiRail to work on the trial proposal.
A lot of the public at the meeting attached the cost benefit ratio of the expressway, even Harry Wilson from NZTA said he was going to talk with Govt about he 3.2 BCR the Waikato Expressway has…which won’t put him in favour with his road crazy masters! The petition is taking off, and we aim to get 5,000 signatures. More would be great.
At first count, Waikato CBT financial membership has close to doubled tonight. Again proving that our transport group is hitting a popular cord with New Zealanders who want better transport. We are the only non politically aligned group to stand up against the standard “build roads” policy of this current Government. If the local and regional councillors and MPs trying to stall the trains don’t jump on board , then this will be a tasty local body election issue next year.. and then general election issue.
Related posts:
- Big Meeting To Get Waikato Rail Link Resolved Great to see the CBT stepping up the fight...
- Crucial Day For Waikato Rail Link Plan A public meeting to plead for the Waikato to Auckland...
- No Bennett-fit For Having Waikato Rail The Waikato rail proposal is continuing to run into fierce...
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