Chauvel Calls For New Railway Station

“A new railway station should be built on or near Middleton Rd, north of Johnsonville”, Labour Candidate for Ohariu-Belmont Charles Chauvel said today.

“A new station, on the Wellington/Porirua Line, near the bottom of one of the road entrances to Churton Park, is the obvious missing link on the way to Tawa”, Mr Chauvel said. Depending on its location, he thought that it would provide Churton Park and Glenside residents with an attractive public transport alternative for commuting into Wellington City, or making the journey to either Tawa or Porirua.

“If the station were a park and ride equipped with generous carparking, many residents in the area would probably choose to leave their cars there, especially with the cost of petrol having reached the level that it now has. A peak hour mini shuttle bus between the station and the streets of Churton Park would be a further attractive incentive for people to switch from car use to the train,” Mr Chauvel said.

“Now that this Labour Government has invested in securing the immediate future of public transport in the Wellington Region, we should be thinking of new ways, like this, in which we can enhance the network and increase its use. No-one believes that the cost of petrol will come down again to its former levels, and we should be thinking of promoting cleaner, greener and cheaper alternatives like the train right across the region”, said Charles Chauvel.

“I have written to the Minister of Transport and the Chair of the Wellington Regional Council, calling for a study on the costs and benefits of this idea. If the numbers come close to stacking up, this ought to be a no-brainer.”

ENDS

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