Category: National Governance
-
The rise and fall of NZ First rail advocacy
In the 2014 New Zealand elections, the New Zealand First party sought to steal the limelight on promotion of the railway network. The party announced a “Railways of National Importance” campaign, an obvious counter to the National Party’s Roads of National Significance proposals. Whilst many of the corridors mentioned were existing ones, the policies also…
-
What Happened To Christchurch’s Commuter Trains (Part 1)
On 30 April 1976, the last remaining commuter train service in North Canterbury, the Christchurch to Rangiora workers’ train service, closed down. Since that time there have been no commuter train services operated in the Christchurch area. The commuter trains in Canterbury, which at one point included New Zealand’s first electric train passenger network, were…
-
Wairarapa Level Crossing Upgrades Information Received
TSBNZ has received a release of information from Kiwirail in respect of Level Crossing Safety Impact Assessment (LCSIA) documents for part of the area impacted by the current Wairarapa Line level crossing upgrades programme. At the present time the information released to date covers only Carterton District and Masterton District. South Wairarapa District relevant information…
-
Gisborne Line Saga Dates Back 40 Years
The debate over the viability and future of the Gisborne Line is not new and dates back 40 years. Having that knowledge will aid considerably in understanding the relevance and context of ongoing discussion over the railway between Napier and Gisborne. The Napier Gisborne Line (part of the Palmerston North Gisborne Line) opened in 1942.…
-
Government Announces New Trains For Lower North Island
An article in Stuff’s Wellington newspaper, The Post, announced today that the government’s 2023 budget will including funding for 18 hybrid trains for the Kapiti and Wairarapa line services in the lower North Island. These trains run on the Wairarapa Line from Wellington to Masterton (excluding the Wellington commuter network) (The Wairarapa Connection services) and…
-
Report Into Telephone Road Level Crossing Options Ignores Grade Separation
The saga of the Telephone Road level crossing at Puketaha and at 11.08 km track distance from Frankton on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway is continuing since Waka Kotahi produced its conclusion on 14th March that the crossing should be closed. As part of that process, WK attached a report produced for them by…
-
Reversal Needed of 1989 Local Government Reforms [3]
Well this series has wandered all over the place, and this definitely will be the last part. Today’s local government issue of note is of course the 3 Waters proposals. 3 Waters is one of those things you think councils should regard as their core business, but the real problem with it is the value…
-
“Greater Christchurch Partnership” Is A Sham For Public Transport
In 2017, the Labour Party campaigned for the general election on a platform of offering to spend $100 million on public transport in the city, which included the investigation of commuter rail. The lofty and noble ideas have since become bogged down in local government politics as Christchurch City Council has simply rehashed its long…
-
Reversal Needed of 1989 Local Government Reforms [2]
[This is an unplanned second part continuing on the theme of local government, particularly its relevance to transport service provision. In the first article a general examination of the impacts of the 1989 reforms was taken. This article is more about general shortcomings of local government outside of any particular timeframe.] It’s worth taking a…