‘The time is right’: Renewed calls for Napier-Wellington passenger rail after Hawke’s Bay meetings

Paul Callister and Patrick Rooney are campaigning to bring passenger trains back to Hawke's Bay. They previously visited Dannevirke, one of the potential stops on a Napier to Wellington route. Photo / Leanne Warr

The odds of the return of a passenger train from Napier-Wellington likely depend on regional council feasibility study as well as the political appetite for it after the election.

Organisers from The Future is Rail/Save Our Trains held two meetings in Napier and Hastings last month discussing the possibility of the return of passenger rail for Hawke’s Bay.

The last time the region had a passenger train to Wellington was in 2001, when the Bay Express ceased operations.

Co-organiser Patrick Rooney of The Future Is Rail/Save Our Trains said the main issues people raised in both meetings was around how disconnected Hawke’s Bay was from other main North Island centres.

“People also said it was an opportunity to get off some of our roads that are currently pretty potholed and have heavy trucks on them.”

Fellow organiser Paul Callister said the world was now a different place from when the trains were stopped.

“Hawke’s Bay has grown significantly, and we know that we need to reduce transport emissions rapidly and substantially. Trains provide a good way to do this.”

Rooney said a number of regional councils would need to work together to provide a rail service and there would need to be track upgrades.

“In some places the track condition also isn’t great.”

But he sees a recent parliamentary inquiry into the future of inter-regional passenger rail in New Zealand and proposed funding for new trains in the current Government’s budget as an opportunity.

“The Government announced in this year’s budget new trains for the Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North, and they’re diesel and electric trains. Those orders are getting negotiated at the moment and it would be easy to get additional trains to extend the service to other places,” Rooney said.

“Now is the right time to be having these conversations because if you put in a bulk order, it’s going to be cheaper than buying a few trains now and a few in five years’ time.”

The Government is yet to respond to the inquiry by the transport and infrastructure select committee, which specifically recommends it launch scoping studies for a Napier-Wellington route, as well as other regional routes across the country.

Committee chairman Shanan Halbert said any action on the report will be taken in the 54th Parliament.

“I was keen to see serious progress on inter-regional routes, so to see the Transport GPS [Government Policy Statement] allocate $105 million over the next three years was a satisfying result,” he said.

“But we do know that more needs to be done. Especially as passenger service from Hawke’s Bay would require substantial investment into new infrastructure and rolling stock.”

Tukituki MP Anna Lorck said she would continue to push Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for a feasibility study.

“I support that. We have to keep the pressure on the regional council to do it and I will strongly advocate to get that study done,” she said.

Katrina Brunton, GM policy and regulation for HBRC, said the feasibility study identified in the Hawke’s Bay Regional Public Transport Plan 2022-2032 had not yet been initiated due to other priorities post Cyclone Gabrielle.

“HBRC have initiated early discussions with Kiwirail around progressing this project. The funding sources to progress this project are being explored.”

National and Act both disagree with the recommendations of the select committee inquiry.

“Our view on passenger rail is that it needs to stack up economically,” National’s Tukituki candidate Catherine Wedd said.

“Our priority in the first instance will be rebuilding our roads here in Hawke’s Bay and that includes a commitment to building the four-lane expressway.”

Green Party MP and transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter, who was also part of the inquiry, said the party would want to see a line from Wellington to Wairoa and Gisborne, including Napier.

“A fully functional rail network on the East Coast would unlock resiliency, more efficient freight movement, and lower carbon, safer passenger movement between East Coast cities and towns and our major centres, and we are fully committed to realising this,” she said.

“We hope the government take on board the recommendations of the inquiry so we can bring that back and roll out rapid rail nationwide.”

Rooney said when the future of long-term infrastructure was at play, there should be a bipartisan approach.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.