Greater Wellington welcomes government action on Tranz Rail

“The Government’s decision to purchase a controlling stake in Tranz Rail, and take back control of the rail network and track is very good news for Wellington commuters, and I congratulate the Government for making the decision”, said Margaret Shields, Chairperson of the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

“Fixing the problems with the region’s commuter rail system has been held up for too long by Tranz Rail’s financial and management problems. Having the Government as major shareholder is the first step to resolving these problems and developing a reliable, quality commuter service for the residents of the greater Wellington region.”

“We sincerely hope Tranz Rail’s shareholders will approve the deal reached today, and then we look forward to working with the new board to resolve the issues surrounding the Tranz Metro.”

“There is still a lot of detail to be sorted out, including the control of track access for passenger trains. But with the Government having indicated their willingness to look at the specific case of the Wellington rail network we can start discussing the options to begin long-overdue improvements to the system.”

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