A proposed railway station at Raumati has not been included in the Regional Council’s revised rail plan.
“The removal of Raumati Station from the long-term plan will be disappointing for many Kapiti people who have been
passionate about this and have put a lot of effort into lobbying for its construction. However, I hope they’ll
understand that circumstances have changed,” says Cr Paul Swain, the Regional Council’s Public Transport Portfolio
Leader.
“Recent projections find that there’d be very little genuinely new patronage for a station at Raumati. Most people who
would potentially use the new station are already using either Paraparaumu or Paekakariki.
“A station at Raumati would slow down travel times for people from Paraparaumu and Waikanae. When you’re travelling that
far, adding a couple of minutes on to your journey times each way does matter. It goes against our goal, in the rail
plan, to speed up journeys from Waikanae to Wellington.
“At a cost of around $10m, a station at Raumati is unlikely to attract government funding. This would mean the full cost
would land on the ratepayer. Council believes this amount of money could be better spent providing better facilities
elsewhere.
“In addition, park and ride, access to the station and its closeness to Paraparaumu Station are all issues that have
been taken into account.
“Instead of building a new station at Raumati, our focus needs to be on future development at Waikanae, Paraparaumu and
Paekakariki stations, particularly providing more park and ride facilities in line with demand.”
The draft Regional Rail Plan is available online atwww.gw.govt.nz/rail-network
People will have an opportunity to give feedback on the plan as part of the Council’s Regional Public Transport Plan
consultation in April 2014.
ENDS