Greater Wellington has shared its short- and long-term visions for a Johnsonville transport hub with Wellington City Council, as the regional council prepares for increased patronage over the next ten years.

The short-term solution is subject to a Wellington City Council traffic resolution and public consultation starting on 8 September 2023. The project has received Transport Choices funding from Waka Kotahi and construction needs to be completed by June 2024 to deal with rising patronage and service continuity.

Greater Wellington Chair, Daran Ponter, says the regional council has been working with the community, Stride (the owners of Johnsonville Mall), Wellington City councillors and Waka Kotahi to find a suitable way forward.

“We believe that a short-term solution, a new stop on Moorefield Road adjacent to the railway station, meets the immediate needs of the local community.

Passengers that use the current southbound bus stop on Moorefield Road know it’s fast reaching capacity and once Metlink reintroduces the full timetable in 2024, it is likely on-street congestion will only get worse.

“We also want to have something in place should any future Johnsonville Mall developments affect Stop B, leaving passengers with no south bound stops,” says Cr Ponter.

Pre-engagement activities with targeted community groups have helped Greater Wellington identify and plan for concerns around Park & Ride changes, future mall developments, shelter from the weather and the eventual long-term vision.

“We have thoroughly reviewed what the community has told us and we are working with Stride to offset any car park removal, adding to Metlink’s Park & Ride offering.

“We’re also committed to making sure we have appropriate engagement built into the short-term plan to help address the concerns regarding shelter amenity; and similarly, we’ll be coordinating efforts with Wellington City and the community to help realise the longer-term goal of an integrated transport hub as part of our Long Term Plan process,” adds Cr Ponter.

Johnsonville is a key strategic location for public transport in the Wellington region due to its proximity to Wellington's central city to the south and the northern growth corridors says Thomas Nash, chair of Greater Wellington’s Transport Committee.

“The mix of community amenities and residential and commercial developments make Johnsonville an ideal transport hub and a key opportunity to drive mode shift in accordance with the decarbonisation goals in the Government Policy Statement on Transport.

“Our long-term aspiration is to create a purpose-built, fully accessible integrated bus and train interchange for the community. There will be some commercial and logistical issues to work through with Wellington City and Stride but we are confident we can progress this work in the next triennium and undertake a full scoping exercise and produce a business case with construction funds allocated in the subsequent triennium,” adds Cr Nash

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