Auckland rail passengers are likely to face fare rises early next year and pensioners may have their free travel trimmed to meet a funding shortfall.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority will next month consider fare rises it expects will be required by a new policy of the Government's Transport Agency, which believes Auckland rail passengers receive heftier subsidies than Wellingtonians.

Holders of SuperGold cards in Auckland may also have to make do with free public transport trips during off-peak periods only, rather than through the afternoon and evening rush hours, bringing them into line with pensioners in other centres.

Other cost-cutting measures the transport authority will report to an Auckland Regional Council finance meeting this morning include reducing its Maxx customer contact centre staff and delaying the return of passenger trains to Onehunga by five months, until July.

Although KiwiRail has indicated it may not be able to complete track signalling work for Onehunga by then in any case, the authority will similarly hold back timetable improvements on the southern and eastern lines in response to a potential funding shortfall of more than $60 million over three years.

That does not include a cut by the national Transport Agency of $4.5 million to what Auckland territorial councils have sought for building and maintaining bus shelters.

Potential rail fare rises in February are not directly related to the funding shortfall, but to a new fare-box policy being formulated in Wellington by the agency, which shares operating subsidies with regional councils.

Regional transport authority chief Fergus Gammie says the agency has highlighting a difference in fares between Auckland and Wellington, and he believes the proposed policy will "most likely" mean increases for his rail passengers.

"Any potential rail fare increase would be implemented from February 2010," he said in a letter to the regional council.

Although that will be three years since the cost of Auckland rail travel last rose, regional council chairman Mike Lee said more effort should be put instead into recovering an estimated 6 per cent loss of revenue from fare-dodgers.

The authority meanwhile intends reducing its purchases of spare parts for rail rolling stock, to the extent possible without affecting services, although it has ruled out skimping on heavy maintenance on safety and reliability grounds.

It has confirmed a decision to stop the daily Helensville passenger rail service on December 24, although the regional council is investigating ways of keeping trains running as far as Huapai or Waimauku without Government funding.