August 10, 2012

Mayoral meeting endorses efforts to keep Capital Connection

More than 125 people, including mayors and local politicians, attended a meeting in Ōtaki last night to support retaining the Capital connection rail service.

The meeting, at Ōtaki Railway Station, was initiated by Kāpiti Mayor Jenny Rowan to add weight to calls by Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils for the Government to provide a relatively small amount of extra funding to keep the service running.

The meeting strongly supported Greater Wellington Regional Council and Horizons Regional Council’s efforts to maintain this service by calling on the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to treat the Capital Connection the same as it does other commuter transport services. The Capital Connection service, which runs week days between Palmerston North and Wellington City, is the only KiwiRail service in the Wellington region that isn’t subsidised.

The meeting unanimously passed the following resolution:

“The meeting passionately endorses the retention of the Capital Connection for important strategic commuter transport in the lower North Island. We acknowledge the support of both Horizon and Wellington Regional Councils and urge all decision making agencies to find a constructive solution that reflects 21st century public transport”.

Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils have presented a business case to NZTA in which they have offered to jointly provide 50% of the subsidy needed to continue the service, if NZTA provides the other half. If the proposal is accepted, the Palmerston North to Wellington service will form part of the Metro Service run by Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Mayor Rowan, says she is delighted with the united support shown at the meeting.

“We need this service to continue for a myriad of reasons. It not only provides commuters with affordable weekday public transport to and from work, it is strategically important link for the communities of Kāpiti, Horowhenua and the Manawatu.”

“We’re not asking for the earth here, simply for NZTA to provide the same subsidy it sees fit to apply to other rail links in the region.”

NZTA declined an invitation to attend last night’s meeting.

To read the joint regional councils’ business case for retaining the Capital Connection go to
http://www.horizons.govt.nz/getting-people-places/passenger-transport/capital-connection/

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