Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is currently consulting on the future of public transport for the region, and Tukituki MP Anna Lorck says a passenger rail service needs to be part of that plan.

“Right now the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Public Transport Plan is out for consultation on buses, but this is also the first opportunity for the public to get on board to include a future commuter train service to connect the region.

“If Hawke’s Bay is to have any real chance of ever getting a passenger rail we need to make sure that it is at least put into the Regional Council’s public transport plan, because it looks at the next 10 years,” she said.

Lorck says the region has very poor transport across its network now and rail has never been something that has been seriously looked at, resigned to the “too hard basket”. Yet, the region has put millions and millions into roading, and road users have increased as a result. 

She said it’s a case of being shortsighted.

“I’m not criticising them, but by its absence on a public transport plan for the next 10 years, it shows me they are not even considering rail.

“We’re already seeing hundreds and hundreds of more people travelling by car between Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings and Napier for work every day and that’s going to keep growing, year on year.”

There is currently no data on exactly how many people commute each day from Central Hawke’s Bay to Napier and Hastings, so that needs to be gathered as a first step, she said. 

“The beauty for Hawke’s Bay is we already have an operational railway line connecting our region – it goes right through the middle of Hastings.”

Wairarapa, Palmerston North and Hamilton were getting on board with commuter rail. The former Bay Express, that connected the region to Wellington was considered one of the most viable connections even when it was discontinued, she said.

HBRC chief executive James Palmer agreed that commuter rail is a great solution for places with high density population, particularly if it runs with some frequency. And there was certainly demand from Central Hawke’s Bay commuters, which needed to be quantified. But he was sceptical rail was the answer.

“At a cursory look, it is well short of what would be needed to justify the investment.”

Busses were a more achievable option. A commuter rail option on a single rail line would also impact freight, and while the rail corridor runs at something like 80km per hour currently, busses were able to travel at 100km per hour, he said.

“We are going to migrate to electric busses in time anyway. And in terms of emissions reduction from rail we can probably get there in short order from going to busses.”

Lorck admitted she had no idea how the costs and logistics would shape up or if the public would be prepared to pay targeted fees to subsidise commuter rail – a business case would be needed for that.

“But you can’t even start asking those questions unless we can get the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to put it on their plan for public transport the next 10 years.”

Lorck will be at the old Hastings Railways Station on Sir James Place this Saturday from 10am to noon, to talk with the public about what can be done to bring passenger rail to the region. 

Submissions close August 31 “so there only a short window to have your say”, she said.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.