INDEPENDENT NEWS

Hamilton-Auckland rail plan would cost $185 per person

Published: Fri 16 Nov 2018 12:33 PM
Revealed: Hamilton-Auckland rail plan would cost $185 per person, per trip
16 NOVEMBER 2018
A passenger service between Auckland and Hamilton requiring a reported $57.7 million in ratepayer and taxpayer subsidies works out as at least $185 per passenger per trip, calculates the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
The Union’s Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “Even if you assume that every carriage is completely full, twice a day, for three years, the three-year $57.7 million subsidy is still an insane $185 per person per trip."
"If you need to pay people nearly $200 each to make a train-trip between Hamilton and Auckland economic then the line is not good value for money. The proposed line doesn’t even run to Auckland City – it stops at Papakura. Getting into the CBD would take another hour again.”
“Regional planners have spent too much time playing SimCity. Neither ratepayers or taxpayers should be forced to pay for this white elephant.”
Notes: $57.7 million is the proposed three year subsidy for operating the Hamilton-Auckland passenger service. If you assume that the service runs at maximum capacity (200 passengers per service), twice a day, every week, for three years, then the subsidy per passenger-trip is $184.93.
ENDS

Next in New Zealand politics

Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
By: New Zealand Government
Parliamentary Network Breached By The PRC
By: New Zealand Government
GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan
By: New Zealand Government
Tax Cuts Now Even More Irresponsible
By: New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Provides Further Humanitarian Support To Gaza And The West Bank
By: New Zealand Government
High Court Judge Appointed
By: New Zealand Government
View as: DESKTOP | MOBILE © Scoop Media