Had a read in the Herald this morning regarding house prices and people from Auckland relocating to North Waikato towns, and it was mentioned that with the 2 options I have mentioned above that played a part in there buying decision south of Auckland, Expressway YES, but to purchase a property because we have a passenger train in place now, give me a break, some of the wording from some of these agents, it does not surprise me, I wonder how many of these agents have been on that train for there work related tasks.

volvolad - 2021-06-19 09:29:00

volvolad wrote:

I wonder how many of these agents have been on that train for there work related tasks.

Have you?

hers.nz - 2021-06-19 15:04:00

Lots of people commute by train and/or bus to Wellington for work from Masterton and Levin. I have commuted from Otaki with a mix of bus/train.

Undoubtedly the availability of a good train or bus service would have played a part in the decision to move to these places so they could have the best of both worlds.

Much speedier than sitting in a car pouring out fumes

What's your point Volvolad?

shanreagh - 2021-06-19 17:36:00

Given the current usage rate of the Hamilton / Auckland & return train is about 37 passenger per day, I would not be basing any house purchase decision on the continued available of this train !!

onl_148 - 2021-06-25 12:13:00

Yes volvolad, the train service would be my last concideration, especially that line. Too slow, will always be too slow, and being pulled by diesel loco, how dumb is that.the railways around wellington are good, auckland is pathetic and a hopeless case. You buy in hamilton you work there simple otherwise buy in auckland. People are lead astray too easy and not thinking. But hey each to their own,3 hours a day commute is not for me.

msigg - 2021-06-25 12:47:00

onl_148 wrote:

Given the current usage rate of the Hamilton / Auckland & return train is about 37 passenger per day, I would not be basing any house purchase decision on the continued available of this train !!

I would love to know the diesel burn per passenger on that white elephant.

3tomany - 2021-06-25 14:23:00

3tomany wrote:

I would love to know the diesel burn per passenger on that white elephant.

Yes... it is you and me as the tax payer who will be picking up the tab... At the best of times this line was never intended to make money, its like most public transport only operate because of very heavy subsidies..
The quickest way to hurry up the "death" of this train is to make it user pays !!
On the positive side, more people per day may start using it once it has been running for a few more months and can prove an acceptable degree of reliability.. Hamilton to Auckland is a long way to travel if you have to arrange transport, on the spur of the moment, because the train operators have pulled the pin on the service today...

onl_148 - 2021-06-25 15:38:00

The major difference between Auckland and anywhere else in the world is that Auckland is built on an Isthmus. We have 2 harbours that nearly meet. I think from memory 1.5 k's at their nearest point. So that means, that to improve the roading system, you need bridges or tunnels, both very expensive to build.Whereas most other parts of NZ can just build roads on land.To drive from 1 side of Auckalnd to the other can take 1hr(off peak)(35k's)If you drive 35k's in any other NZ city ,you're in countryside or another town.

blueviking - 2021-06-25 19:12:00

NZ needs to stop using diesel trains. drop the "for profit" model of public transport and grow the fuck up. Spend money on fast public transport, where theres a population of people to use it.

bitsnpieces2020 - 2021-06-25 20:26:00

blueviking wrote:

The major difference between Auckland and anywhere else in the world is that Auckland is built on an Isthmus. We have 2 harbours that nearly meet. I think from memory 1.5 k's at their nearest point. So that means, that to improve the roading system, you need bridges or tunnels, both very expensive to build.Whereas most other parts of NZ can just build roads on land.To drive from 1 side of Auckalnd to the other can take 1hr(off peak)(35k's)If you drive 35k's in any other NZ city ,you're in countryside or another town.

So if a canal was put between the tow harbours.
Would that mean the north island is in 2 parts ?

rodeorunch - 2021-06-26 14:40:00

shanreagh wrote:

Lots of people commute by train and/or bus to Wellington for work from Masterton and Levin. I have commuted from Otaki with a mix of bus/train.

Undoubtedly the availability of a good train or bus service would have played a part in the decision to move to these places so they could have the best of both worlds.

Much speedier than sitting in a car pouring out fumes

What's your point Volvolad?

And even more so in other countries. We’re just way too wedded to our cars here. So many people moaning about having to change train at Papakura making it ‘not a commuter service’ … every day there are thousands (probably tens of thousands) of people travelling in to London (as one example) by train and then changing to another train or tube to get to the other side of the city to work. This is no different.

blands70 - 2021-06-27 10:01:00

blands70 wrote:

And even more so in other countries. We’re just way too wedded to our cars here. So many people moaning about having to change train at Papakura making it ‘not a commuter service’ … every day there are thousands (probably tens of thousands) of people travelling in to London (as one example) by train and then changing to another train or tube to get to the other side of the city to work. This is no different.

Whilst I take your point that connections are part and parcel of a typical commute, I think the comparison with London doesn't fully stack up when you look at total commute time.

From Frankton, its 1 hour and 40 mins to get to Papakura, then 10 min connection to a 50 min train to Britomart. So potentially a 2hr 40 min trip.

In London the typical commute from places such as Swindon, Brighton, Cambridge and Canterbury is 50-60 mins train, then maybe 15 mins Tube connection and then maybe 15 mins Tube. 90 mins max.

Then to be home by 6.30, you'd have to leave your place of work by 3.15 or if you can't then you'll be home maybe 830pm. That's a hell of a commute, with or without a connection.

sparkychap - 2021-06-27 10:53:00

Yes sparky is correct, Our trains are too slow and always will be, our tracks are too narrow, this has been the case for 100 years or so. It won't change. It is pathetic.We are too small to do this service. The tax payer is subsidizing the rail and always will be, on top of that they are diesel trains, Pathetic.

msigg - 2021-06-27 17:16:00

sparkychap wrote:

Whilst I take your point that connections are part and parcel of a typical commute, I think the comparison with London doesn't fully stack up when you look at total commute time.

From Frankton, its 1 hour and 40 mins to get to Papakura, then 10 min connection to a 50 min train to Britomart. So potentially a 2hr 40 min trip.

In London the typical commute from places such as Swindon, Brighton, Cambridge and Canterbury is 50-60 mins train, then maybe 15 mins Tube connection and then maybe 15 mins Tube. 90 mins max.

Then to be home by 6.30, you'd have to leave your place of work by 3.15 or if you can't then you'll be home maybe 830pm. That's a hell of a commute, with or without a connection.

For a more relevant comparison.
Newcastle to Sydney takes approx 2 hours 35 minutes from Newcastle Interchange to Sydney Central station. Trains run every 30 minutes.

kestrel43 - 2021-06-27 17:30:00

kestrel43 wrote:

For a more relevant comparison.
Newcastle to Sydney takes approx 2 hours 35 minutes from Newcastle Interchange to Sydney Central station. Trains run every 30 minutes.

why is that relevant to the earlier posters London comparison?

sparkychap - 2021-06-27 17:39:00

Why is a London comparison relevant? Typical cringing reference to the disUnited blowhard Kingdom and its ripoff rail system. Australia is much better model to follow.

kestrel43 - 2021-06-27 18:44:00

kestrel43 wrote:

Why is a London comparison relevant? Typical cringing reference to the disUnited blowhard Kingdom and its ripoff rail system. Australia is much better model to follow.

Right.....so you're comparing a 2.5 hour commute to a 2.5 hour commute, Is that supposed to be a good thing?

sparkychap - 2021-06-27 19:32:00

It's a starting point after decades of neglect, in case you hadn't noticed NZ has been running rail into the ground since the 1980s. It wouldn't take that much to slice 15 minutes off the current running time now with even better time savings attainable with long overdue real investment in the trains and track.

kestrel43 - 2021-06-27 19:49:00

15 minutes….lol….so down to 2 hours 25 mins. And how much investment required?

sparkychap - 2021-06-27 19:54:00

kestrel43 wrote:

It's a starting point after decades of neglect, in case you hadn't noticed NZ has been running rail into the ground since the 1980s. It wouldn't take that much to slice 15 minutes off the current running time now with even better time savings attainable with long overdue real investment in the trains and track.

The starting point if what has failed in the past? We know rail is uneconomic unless subsidized so why bother doing again what has failed in the past. We should bring back farming subsidies as farming was way more profitable back then. as a farmer i think not as it is either viable or it is not.

3tomany - 2021-06-27 22:11:00

Forget the train,what we need is something like the rail cars back,in their day they did the job brilliantly. Someone will say to expensive but I reckon you could take an InterCity bus,stick some rail wheels on it and off you go,it has to work.

hammer23 - 2021-06-28 00:50:00

kestrel43 wrote:

Why is a London comparison relevant? Typical cringing reference to the disUnited blowhard Kingdom and its ripoff rail system. Australia is much better model to follow.

Cringing? Whatever. My comparison was based on something I am familiar with (i.e. London). I wouldn’t use an example that I hadn’t experienced.

Very odd reaction.

blands70 - 2021-06-28 18:36:00

bitsnpieces2020 wrote:

NZ needs to stop using diesel trains. drop the "for profit" model of public transport and grow the fuck up. Spend money on fast public transport, where theres a population of people to use it.

Correct.

tygertung - 2021-06-28 19:56:00