21 November 2013

Kaiwharawhara Station to close

Wellington Regional Council has decided to close Kaiwharawhara Station which hasn’t been operating since June after an investigation raised safety concerns about the level of corrosion on parts of the bridge.

Cr Paul Swain, the Regional Council’s Public Transport Portfolio Leader, says councillors weighed the huge cost of repairing or replacing the bridge against the number of people who use the station and the work needed on other stations around the region.

“This decision was not taken easily and I appreciate fully that the closure of the station has inconvenienced the people who do commute to or from Kaiwharawhara.However, the cost of making the bridge fully compliant with current safety standards could be as much as $2.4 million.

“The last official counts for the number of people getting on and off at Kaiwharawhara during the morning was 14.There are eight other stations in the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Kapiti that also need significant work. The number of people who use each of these stations is significantly higher.

“Councillors decided today that we simply cannot justify spending large amounts of money to keep a station open. We have a responsibility to meet the greater good of the region, spend ratepayers’ money wisely, and get the most value for that money.

“We know this decision will inconvenience some people. We have looked carefully at the current alternative public transport options for people who used Kaiwharawhara Station.As well as bus connections from Ngauranga or Wellington Stations to and from Kaiwharawhara there are a range of direct bus services between Kaiwharawhara and Wellington CBD, the Hutt Valley and the northern suburbs.”

People travelling to and from Kaiwharawhara can plan their travel at Metlink www.metlink.org.nz or phone Metlink on 0800 801 700.

ENDS

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