The Green Party has launched a petition calling on the Rail Minister Winston Peters to reinstate passenger rail services across the country.

“New Zealanders have shown they want rail and will use it. It’s time to give the people what they want,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Transport, Julie Anne Genter.

“We already have a rail network stretching across the motu – it’s time to use it properly and bring back passenger rail.

“We’re launching this petition in Tauranga because people here want passenger rail reconnected to Hamilton and Auckland. Our petition, which you can sign here, also calls for a night train with modern, comfortable sleeper cars between Auckland and Wellington to be reinstated, and for the Southerner connection between Christchurch and Dunedin to be brought back on a regular basis.

“New Zealanders deserve a modern, efficient transport system with real choices for how they get around – whether it’s driving, taking a bus, flying, or taking a train.

“We are in a climate crisis, so moving away from fossil fuels towards modes of transport like trains is a no-brainer. But also, driving in cars is becoming very expensive and traffic congestion is getting worse.

“We’ve proven the demand for rail through the Te Huia service between Hamilton and Auckland: it regularly exceeds patronage targets, has reduced emissions, and has high levels of customer satisfaction.

“It’s time to invest further in this network. Under the fully costed plan in our recently released Green Budget, we allow for five and a half billion over about five years, which is 80 percent less than the current Government’s proposed spending on expensive highways,” says Julie Anne Genter.

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