Brian Rudman: All aboard for the Waikato Express

Given all the stick we Aucklanders come in for from anyone living south of the Bombay Hills, it's rather endearing that 11,499 Hamiltonians have signed a petition wanting the passenger train service between our two great cities revived.

Somebody loves us after all. Instead of standing back and letting them fight their own battles, Auckland leaders should be rushing to the petitioners' support.

Indeed, we should be encouraging the Hamiltonians to raise their horizons and campaign not just for a commuter service of two or three trips a day, but something more comprehensive.

Personally, I've thought it rather weird to commute for two hours, twice a day, to a job. Surely changing your job, or moving house, would create a less stressful lifestyle.

Still, if you are going to persevere, then sitting in comfort and letting somewhere else do the driving must beat driving a car.

But while the Hamilton campaigners seem centred on the commuting advantages, Auckland Inc should be looking at the proposed rail link as a way of tapping into the huge new market that is Hamilton region's 350,000 people.

Just as people from all around the south of England think nothing of jumping aboard a train to go to London for a day's shopping, or to catch a show or a concert, Auckland, as New Zealand's equivalent for entertainment, shopping and just about everything else, should be making it as easy as possible for our Waikato cuzzies to do the same.

The indefatigable Cameron Brewer, chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association, is one local leader who sees that potential.

In his recent submission to Environment Waikato's 2010/2011 draft annual plan, he refers to the 127km motorway between the two cities as the "southern car-park", calling it the "greatest obstacle" to freeing up movement between Hamilton and Auckland.

He even suggests the intercourse should be two-way, saying the Waikato should "be positioning itself as a playground for Auckland".

But if Auckland's shopkeepers and entertainment promoters want to take advantage of this vast customer base, they're going to have to start leaning on the politicians in both Hamilton and Wellington.

A good place to start would be with National's MP for Hamilton East, David Bennett. A few days ago, the transport and industrial relations select committee, which he chairs, shelved the 11,499-signature petition calling for an inter-city rail service.

In his brief report, he claimed "this service has recently been considered by the relevant local authorities and they decided not to establish such a service".

In response, Hamilton City Council transport chairman Dave Macpherson told the Waikato Times this was "complete crap". He said his council "continued to support it and has not pulled its support".

As for Environment Waikato, the local regional council and public transport authority, its annual plan has no mention of such a rail service. Campaigners are hoping to change this.

Submissions for the new plan closed at the end of last month and the 11,499- signature petition was among them.

A report Environment Waikato commissioned on the business case for this link was received last May and claimed economic benefits would comfortably exceed operating losses.

It said the service had a benefit-cost ratio of 1.9, or economic return of $1.90 for each $1.

As a known sceptic of such reports, I'd better not get too carried away with the findings for fear of being justifiably mocked.

Sticking to facts, KiwiRail has estimated that using existing Silver Fern cars, a one- round-trip a day service leaving Hamilton in the morning and returning early evening would cost $1.84 million a year. A two-round-trips service would cost $2.2 million and a three-round-trips service, $2.65 million.

Given the $2 billion-plus the Government plans to spend on Waikato roads and the years it will take to improve the road links, the select committee's refusal to even discuss the proposal is hard to understand.

Rail travel is on a roll in Auckland. In March, a record 918,000 trips were taken, 14.3 per cent higher than the year before.

When the service is there, customers are voting with their feet. An intercity link with Hamilton is an obvious next step.