Warning of price rise for commuters out of Government’s “rescue” package for Wellington commuter Rail

Labour List MP in Ohariu Charles Chauvel is warning of the danger of price hikes, following today’s announcement that the Government is to transfer to the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) control of nearly all train stations and rolling stock in Wellington’s Rail Network.

“After years of decay following the sale of NZ Rail by a previous National Government, Labour bought back KiwiRail, and helped pay for new trains and station upgrades in Wellington. We need to make sure that today’s announcement does not result in those gains being lost in the future.”

“The travelling public will have high expectations on GWRC as the new dominant player in commuter rail in Wellington. I wish the GWRC well for its new role, and I hope that it will work hard with Wellingtonians to give them a better say in how public transport is managed, specifically as to the rail network.”

“However, the danger with today’s announcement is that it will put serious pressure on GWRC to raise commuter fares. With rising prices across the board putting pressure on all consumers, commuters would need to see a major improvement in service levels, particularly as to reliability, before any fare increase could be considered justified.”

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