29 July 2014

Panmure station, passengers flocking to use it

If you build it, they will come, as the line from Field of Dreams states.

The new Panmure railway station has seen a 57% increase in passenger numbers since it opened in January and a 73% increase compared with this time last year.

Panmure is now ranked the 10th busiest railway station in Auckland, up from 18th in 2013. On average some 1116 passengers use the Panmure station every week day, in 2003 it was used by less than 100 a day.

The boost in numbers clearly shows a latent demand for quality public transport and associated infrastructure says Auckland Transport Chairman, Dr Lester Levy.

“For decades there has been an under-investment in transport generally, but public transport in particular, in Auckland. If you deliver the right services in the right place to a high standard people will use them. We are finally beginning to get on top of things and these sorts of numbers speak for themselves”, he says.

A recent survey also shows that more than 99% of users of the station rated it excellent or outstanding.

The $17.5m interchange allows easy and direct transfers between rail and bus, benefiting those living and working in the area as well as those travelling through Panmure as part of their daily commute. Transfers now account for approximately 8% of all public transport boardings.

“A prime example of this is Panmure where the bus/rail integration is working particularly well”, says Dr Levy.

The interchange is part of the Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative (AMETI) with future stages seeing the creation of busway lanes along Lagoon Drive and Pakuranga Road to a new bus station at Pakuranga town centre.

ENDS

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