Apart from Wellington, with a public transport system of trains and buses close to 100 years old servicing the public, and Auckland, slowly developing some sort of decent public transport system at last after years of wrong-headed thinking about more motorways and fewer passenger trains, there is no public transport that meets the needs of the rest of the country.
We would love to leap on a train at our local railway station and chuff off to other centres for shopping, business or holidays, knowing that when we get to our destination there will be a bus service running every 15 minutes or so that will take us to our hotel or other destination.
New Zealand is still an empty country with long distances between towns and a population spread far and wide.
I applaud the efforts and money being put into Auckland, our big city, to catch up with 21st century cities around the world. It has to be done. Despite what some say and think about Auckland, it is the power-house of our country and deserves a world-class transport system.
However, we country cousins also have transport needs that are not being met. There was a time when there were passenger rail services between centres in New Zealand. Yes, they mostly made a loss, but it was a service that worked most of the time. Expresses ran into the provinces from the main centres, rail cars hummed along branch lines to country stations. People could get the train from their small village to town and back again in the same day.
Alas, money rules and these services were disposed of because of inefficiencies. Emphasis was placed on private motor travel which as a culture we have now adopted completely.
Whilst goods traffic by rail seems to be thriving, there seems to be no plan for passenger service infrastructure to be added to our rail system. Many branch lines have gone, together with some main lines. Unlike the United Kingdom, there is seemingly no plan to re-open old lines in country districts for people to use.
New Zealand is one of the few developed countries in the world not making passenger rail travel a priority.
Most provincial centres have bus services, ranging from very basic to maybe reasonable. Old diesel-powered, clapped-out buses thundering around city streets, blowing fumes, with only a few passengers most of the time. Serving selected parts of the town based on social need. A great idea, but it would be nice for the system to be spread around and expanded so there is a chance we could all have an option.
There has to be a change of thinking in terms of public transport away from the need to make profits to simply the need to provide a service to the public, even at a loss. So what? If it gets us out of our cars and into buses and trains, even in the sticks, it is contributing to fighting climate change.
Electric buses are coming; probably why the old buses are being kept running in the interim. Electric rail is here and has been for more than 100 years.
The Government needs to think about upgrading the present rail system, double-tracking and electrifying all main lines, re-opening old lines. The formations are mostly still there being used as cycle trails. Stick cycle trails beside the re-opened lines if that is an issue.
Build new lines to new centres of population as they develop. Encourage trams or light rail in all cities and larger towns.
A future of private vehicles continuing to be the dominant form of transport for the public in cities and towns has to change.
Do not get me started on the trucking industry. Again, more rail is needed.
