Strong Public Support For Faster Trains Over Govt’s Slow Tram Plan
Organisers expect strong support at tomorrow’s public meeting to highlight why a train link
to Auckland Airport is better than the Governments preferred choice of a slow tram via
Dominion Road or a user-unfriendly bus transfer shuttle via Puhinui station.
One of the organisers, Paul Miller, Chair of NZ Transport 2050, said “Feedback on social
media and as seen from comments on news reports have been overwhelmingly in support of
a Rapid Train serving our largest airport. The public agrees, a tram or a bus transfer shuttle to
Puhinui railway station proposed by the Government are not optimal solutions.”
Auckland airport is the primary gateway to New Zealand. It has been undergoing massive
growth and forecast to be at 40 million passengers in just over ten years time.
Jon Reeves, National Coordinator of the Public Transport Users Association, the other
organisers of the meeting says “A slow tram service does not stack up. Aucklanders seem to
be smarter than the Council or the Government and comprehend that they won’t get out of
their cars to catch a tram that takes an hour to reach the airport, or carry large suitcases onto
buses only to have to unload them 10 minutes later and drag them to a railway station at
Puhinui. That’s not a good solution for moving large numbers of Aucklanders, business
professionals or tourists”.
Paul Miller added” Auckland Council decided to follow a tram plan to the airport based on a
very seriously flawed report, by a consultant lacking any experience in heavy rail. Lobbying
by interest groups has global best practice put in the back seat which isn’t good for
Auckland. Tomorrow we will present all the facts of why the report is seriously flawed and
the alternative of faster train service to the airport which has the highest reach for
Aucklanders and also for people living in Waikato and Tauranga. Not only is it better for
more people than the slow tram plan, but this enables for a greater catchment for higher
density housing development next to railways stations across the Auckland and Waikato
network.
The public meeting is tomorrow
Road.
(Tuesday), 7 pm, Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, 487 Dominion
a gvt that cannot make a sensible straight forward decision on public transport as witnessed in the last 10 months by the current one and the previous 9 years b4 that does not deserve to be re-elected..god knows why the flip flops continue on all the simple but electoral crucial decisions .. a 6 year old could make better decisions than the GOFF or the coalition, people are often in wonderment why labour was such a pathetic opposition despite the fact that national did everything it could to loose the previous 2 elections ..the answer is simple heavy rail vs trams is the answer, only the stupid would think trams for this is the answer,, trams are designed for fast inner city people moving not to haul luggage to the other side of the city
Listening to Jacinda on the AM show with Duncan Garner Newshub this morning at 6.45 am I felt that jacinda has no idea what to do regarding lowering carbon emissions now, as she is still using the “we need to stop increasing carbon emissions by 2050!!!!!!!!!
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows.html
What the hell is she saying, as we are now entering the stage where the climate change effects are being impacted on our businesses and horticulture and farming right now.
Jacinda you need to take dirty diesel polluting trucks off the roads and use cleaner buring rail freight as your way forward.
We have requested this of your “transformative Government” in our letters and emails sent from CEAC to you since November 2017 after you announced “Climate change is your Generation’s nuclear moment” after winning the election.
If you do not switch to cleaner ‘freight transport’ – you are now failing in your duty to save our future citizens from disasters as climate change, increases.
So Jacinda, now the clock is ticking so press the emergency button now please and act.
Oh yeah? Well some needs to explain to Duncan Bro and Guyon Espinor the difference between the New Zealand Dollar and a fucken exchange rate is. Hint, ya swap money. These to low quality, low energy and I’m looking for a scientific term for idiots just brake your heart. They’re like cult leaders inquiring about the movements of young woman that they are that magical in there thinking.
Our open letter to Jacinda.
9th October 2018.
TO all rail stakeholders,
Subject; New Zealand’s challenge to achieve climate resilient development
This am we watched PM Jacinda Ardern struggle with the questions asked of her during the AM show as Duncan Garner asked Jacinda “what is the time line has the Government set for changes to our carbon emissions to save our future” and Jacinda you were definitely struggling with an answer.
Here is a simple method to counter that question. The answer was given by the other guest on the AM show after you PM by Bronwyn Hayward is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Canterbury Hayward was New Zealand lead author serving on UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Professor Bronwyn Haywood said that we need to now to “change the way we move our freight and ourselves around our country”.
Phil Twyford was also on the news on the AM show this morning 9/10/18 announcing that millions will be put into the upgrading of the Wairarapa rail line service for freight and passenger services, – so hurray to Phil for this, our committee applauds you for restoring regional rail policy finally, – so HB/Gisborne requires the same level of funding at least to adequately restore our ‘rundown rail services too, and we need passenger rail returned to Gisborne Napier regions as the elders and young can travel safely again by rail as our roads are unsafe with a very high ‘truck freight industrial activity’.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/money/news/dollar96m-funding-for-wairarapa-rail/ar-BBO7qo9
Quote; “Wairarapa rail tracks are getting a major funding boost and upgrade.”
This morning Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced a $96 million investment, which includes $50m for track infrastructure and the rest for double-tracking between Trentham and Upper Hutt.
He said it would help grow the region’s economy and tourism.
Without the investment, the line would deteriorate and cause delays and disruptions for commuters, Mr Twyford said.
“Passengers have a right to expect a safe and reliable service, and this investment will ensure the long-term future of this route.”
Mr Twyford said the investment could have spinoffs into other investments.
It would give the Greater Wellington Regional Council more confidence to invest in upgrading and improving the line’s rolling stock, he said.
Work on the Wairarapa rail line was expected to start in April next year.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/101399396/hopes-alive-for-a-better-more-frequent-capital-connection
Quote;
“They would have the versatility to support the regional routes, as well as providing extra capacity on the Wellington services.”
Transport Minister Phil Twyford said “the Labour-led Government was committed to developing a transport system that embraced all modes of transport. – “This includes looking at increasing investment in public transport.”
Our Regional request; to NZ Government;
We in HB/Gisborne also now require the same “freight and passenger services” be restored to Gisborne Napier line, so our freight and passenger services once again can be connected to “the capital connection” and all other export ports for our own “economic and wellbeing health & security” is assured for the future please.
Below are the coverage of Bronwyn Haywood’s speech that was covered by the media to support transport changes we are supporting now with a plan to return to cleaner less carbon emitting rail freight and passenger services model.
CEAC answer to transport emissions reductions.
Use steel wheels with trains, and not use tyres, as one truck tyre uses 30 litres of oil to produce the tyre and a truck has from 18 to 32 tyres each truck.
Steel wheels don’t pollute or leave black tyre dust on our ice shelves and will cause rapid melting of the ice caps.
https://blog.divessi.com/plastic-particles-from-textiles-and-tyres-major-source-of-ocean-pollution-2385.html
When black carbon tyre particles reach the ice caps this is what happens.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140610-connecting-dots-dust-soot-snow-ice-climate-change-dimick/
Our open letter to Jacinda and her government.
In descending order from political suicide to attempted suicide the answers are.
Nationalise oil
Nationalise banks
Geo engineering on a global scale
Slaughter 2 or 3 million cows
Go full national vegan diet
Swap the motor pool electric
Off shore wind farms
Eat less meat
Full emissions trading scheme economy
The first five will see you gone by the next election but hold warning to a barmy 1.5 degrees, unless you go full totalitarian society this is political suicide. The bottom four can hold temperature rise to 2 degrees and we desperately scramble for aircons and move food production into the cities.
Add to that excellent list.
Use less energy in all forms. Promote use of animal power in farming.
Organise and support local food production / distribution and disincentivise importing food including NZ registered companies processing food in Ozzy.
Monitor and regulate advertising where it promotes waste, energy and non-renewable resource consumption.
Charge manufacturers and importers for marketing of any packaging not retrieved by producer / distributor and ban plastic packaging in all forms.
Institute the UBI and employ the bodily able unemployed to work on community, Local Council and Govt projects.
Make education free at all levels.
Free dental care.
Withdraw from 5 eyes and focus on off shore interference with the NZ system and politics.
Establish units to assist launching of Cooperatives in all areas of small business, supporting small communities meeting their need locally. De-corporatising NZ.
De-centralise population and incentivise smaller families. The world does not need more people.
We need to relearn how to live within our shrinking resources.
None of that list is new.
Our total GHG emission should be restricted to a level below our total national mitigation by way of planting and permanent forest.
Overseas ownership of forest, ownership of cutting rights or management is not in our best interests nor that of the planet.
Food transportation where necessary will use rail and can use wood fueled steam .
This is one of many new developments using wood for transport fuel.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/94319793/could-steam-bring-back-commuter-rail-in-christchurch
We have made steam engines in NZ for over 100 years. The carbon footprint of manufacture and salvage has to be included.
NZ has a home grown method of producing iron and steel from iron sands using electricity but we are selling off our iron sand along with the environmental marine destruction involved with mining levels off shore resource pirates want. Crazy stuff.
Cars are bad news .
How did people get around before cars were made.
Our present cars are purposefully built to last but a short time which in not only wasteful and dangerous to our continued survival but the culture surrounding such endemic destruction of Non Renewable Natural Resources leaves us ill prepared for a change away from such a destructive lifestyle.
There’s just no way to win any of this, no one likes change yet that’s what faces us. There’s subterranean transport, surface transport, overhead transport = expensive expensive expensive so we don’t really want people scared to get the checkbook out, that rules National out. At the same time we have to be really careful about what resources is used and where we get it from. We don’t really want to be ripping other people off with cheap below cost resources.
Sam what you say does reflect present thinking but many that will change as we wind down.
Cities will become unsustainable in the medium term. Even with wholesale food growing as was implemented in Cuba.
The adding up of various interdependent factors as has been done thoroughly, shows the way past collapse would have been a change of direction some 40 years ago.
Our base of depleted Non Renewable Natural Resources is now so diminished we will not be able to maintain the present infrastructure let alone forge a new energy and resource dependent path to overcome the economics of changes.
The basis for our economy has to become real and local.
Solar capture of energy can never harvest a fraction of what we use now before we run our of resource to make solar cells or film.
Wooden sailing ships, traditional windmills and water wheels along with animal power and forestry look to be a far more reliable bet.
Our energy harvesting and consumption has will decline dramatically as will population.
Meanwhile Cornucopia reigns building false hopes while a very wealthy small group stuff their larder with as many goodies as they can.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/jun/04/scientists-limits-to-growth-vindicated-investment-transition-circular-economy
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/jun/04/mineral-resource-fossil-fuel-depletion-terraform-earth-collapse-civilisation
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/limits-to-growth-was-right-new-research-shows-were-nearing-collapse
https://theconversation.com/planetary-boundaries-limits-to-growth-and-the-climate-debate-19819
http://energyskeptic.com/category/fastcrash/limits-to-growth-peakeverything/
Just to touch on a few of the issues that are seldom discussed.
I missed listing this link
http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/articles/cubas_food_production_revolution/
But that was just food. Cement. steel, chemicals, electronics and a host of other aspects of modern infrastructure will be a very different matter.
We need to use rail in a smart way in future to get the best lowest transport emissions system by incorporating the use of “mixed trains” heard of them?
I caught a mixed train when i left Rhodesia in 1970 and headed for capetown and at the border at Mafeking I got put on a “mixed train” with three carriages on the back of a freight train which made a delightful trip as we stopped at many colourful stops along the way and saw the interior of the country.
I would highly recommend a mixed train to anyone today as mixed trains are still used in four continents including US today so we should do this as it would take cars and trucks off the roads lowering the carnage and lower the climate change emissions at the same time.
Here is a link to Mixed trains. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_train
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