A Parliamentary select committee has told the Government it should investigate restarting proper passenger services between Auckland and Wellington.
The recommendation, from Parliament’s transport and infrastructure select committee, came after an investigation into restarting proper regional passenger rail in New Zealand.
It came alongside recommendations for scoping studies into other routes like Auckland to Tauranga, Napier to Wellington and extending the Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North to finish at Feilding.
The committee did not recommend looking at South Island routes, but said “further investigation” was warranted.
National and Act delivered minority reports, both saying the Government should focus on improving the performance of existing rail services, including commuter rail services that run in Wellington and Auckland, before forging ahead with regional rail.
Act’s report said the report had “no economic analysis to support it”.
