Metlink services will have extra capacity on Thursday 23 October, when the striking unionised workers march to parliament in Wellington.

Unionised primary and secondary school teachers, and nurses, midwives, doctors, dentists and other healthcare workers, are planning combined strike action on Thursday. Additional public transport services and capacity are planned to accommodate journeys into and out of the city, and to ease pressure on the wider transport system, before and after the planned march.

The event has been extensively planned for says Metlink senior manager of operations, Paul Tawharu.

“A full train service will be in operation, with train capacity on services around the march time doubled,” says Tawharu.

“On the day of the protest the Hutt Valley line rail service will be operating on a full timetable; the interpeak block of line to enable KiwiRail works is suspended for the day.

“We have also asked bus operators to use the largest buses available, and detours will be in place for services affected by the planned protest route.”

“Standard fares will apply on Thursday, and it’s likely many people will have the benefit of the off-peak discount, as the protest will be taking place in the middle of the day,” says Tawharu.

The situation will be closely monitored says Metlink group manager Samantha Gain.

“To ensure our public transport system functions with and around the planned protest, we will stand up our usual disruption response and will receive regular updates from officers on the ground,” says Gain.

“We have made contact with the union organisers to brief them on the service levels we will be delivering and we will work in coordination with Wellington City Council’s Transport Operations Centre.”

Passengers can get the latest information on the Metlink website or app.

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