Moving along, here are some interesting numbers about Kāpiti Coast train services.
The rail link from Waikanae to Wellington station covers 55.4km, has 13 train stations, 11 of those with park and ride facilities, servicing an area with a population of 130,000 people, the average daily morning peak patronage for Kāpiti is 7826 rides, and annual patronage is over six million journeys. Wow.
So that tells me that Kāpiti Coast residents are very good users of the services, so hopefully you might well be interested in GWRC's proposed draft Wellington Regional Public Transport Plan 2021-31, which we will open up for public consultation early next year.
As my colleague and GWRC transport committee chairman councillor Roger Blakeley says, "the draft plan has been built around the strategic priority of an efficient, accessible and low carbon public transport network, achieved through mode shift, decarbonisation of the public transport fleet and improving customer experience".
"The draft plan could not be more timely given the Government's Declaration of a Climate Emergency.
"Decarbonisation of the public transport fleet in the Wellington region will be a key contributor to reducing Greater Wellington's carbon footprint.
"Public transport contributes 50 per cent of Greater Wellington's carbon footprint, with 37 per cent from buses and 13 per cent from rail."
The draft plan includes the previously announced increase of the number of electric buses by 98 to 108, which will be progressively delivered from mid-2021 and take the proportion of e-buses in the fleet to around 21 per cent which is high by international standards.
"Investment on this scale is driving us towards meeting the draft plan's goal to 'accelerate the implementation of an electric bus fleet in the region by 2030', in particular through retiring diesel buses and replacement with electric buses when the operator contracts come up for renewal in 2027.
"The draft plan also includes additional rolling stock on the Wellington Metro Rail Network, and planned new rolling stock on both the Palmerston North and Masterton train lines, including investigating the option of battery-electric trains."
The new rolling stock are the trains that would replace our Capital Connection train, and our goal is to improve the train and increase the frequency.
So well worth some comment (hopefully supportive) in to that upcoming consultation.
We'll be discussing the draft plan initially with our strategic partners, and public consultation is scheduled to occur from February 15 to March 19, 2021.
