Te Huia Hamilton-Auckland train: nearly three months on, why are many seats still empty?

Sunday, 20 June 2021

Dennis Turton on board Te Huia. The chief executive starts working in the pitch black, avoiding road rage on the Auckland motorway. But around him, seats are empty.

A suited figure sits in a brightly lit carriage, awake in the biting black dawn, tapping on his keyboard.

Dennis Turton is happy. He has stopped driving to Auckland.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Waikato mayors test ride the passenger service to Huntly (Video first published in March 2021).

The chief executive of Trust Waikato avoids the creeping on-set of road rage when he heads to the super-city for work meetings. As Te Huia drags out of the station, he’s comfortable.

“I find it really easy to get work done, and the time just goes.”

Trust Waikato chief executive Dennis Turton gets a lot done during his sporadic commutes to Auckland.

* Waka Kotahi-NZTA chair 'extremely disappointed' in board member's Te Huia train comments

* Waikato council boss 'stunned' by comments new Te Huia train is 'worst of both worlds'

A graph showing Te Huia patronage over the first 10 weeks of the service

But nearly three months into the Hamilton to Auckland service, many seats around Turton are empty – he’s one of only 30 others disembarking from Hamilton that day.

The National Party says the Te Huia experiment is “failing” and they would consider scrapping it, but Government and city leaders have defended their $98 million investment, arguing the train needs a chance to grow.

An average of 35 passengers caught the 6.28am train from Hamilton on weeks 8, 9 and 10 of the service, figures provided to Stuff show.

For those three weeks, the average total boarding numbers across the four trips was 117 people.

Te Huia is a $98 million investment from the Government and local councils.

Passengers spiked during public holidays and especially on weekends – 172 boarded the most recent Saturday service on May 22.

The regional council says commuters are actually growing; by one per cent week on week, or four per cent per month.

But National spokesperson Michael Woodhouse said figures show the Te Huia experiment is “failing”.

Passenger Leonie Kohu and her kids, Cjah Kohu, 7 and Keilyn Kohu, 5 travel to Papakura about once a week to visit family. The train is considerably cheaper than bus fares which cost up to $160, Kohu said.

The two hour and a half journey time to Britomart means the principle task, to get people out of cars, is “doomed”.

He said National would scrap Te Huia as long as it continued to lose money, and instead focus on building a fourth main rail line.

He did not agree the service should continue while commuters waited for upgrades.

“Thirty-five regular commuters? We could helicopter them between Hamilton and Auckland for cheaper price.

A design impression of what Puhinui station near Papatoetoe could look like.

“The public are having to pay for this, an eye watering amount of money.”

But Transport Minister Michael Wood said Te Huia would improve, and the Government was continuing with a business case for high speed rail.

“This stands in stark contrast to National, who don't invest in rail and haven’t promised any improvements to the service or corridor.

Hamilton City Councillor and rail governance group member Ewan Wilson: “Is a motorway only option sensible? If you look around the world you'd say that it isn't.”

“National failed to even build a third main rail line, which is now under construction thanks to the NZ Upgrade Programme.

“I doubt they are serious about a fourth given their track record. We are future proofing for it now.”

City leader: we knew Te Huia was ‘sub-optimal’, improvements on the way

Passenger numbers on Te Huia for weeks 9 and 10, supplied by Waikato Regional Council.

Over 1200 residents submitted feedback about Te Huia through the regional council’s Long Term Plan hearings – and 96 per cent of them wanted the service improved, including more trips and the train journey extending further into Auckland.

Only four per cent of submitters want the train to stay as it is.

Commuter Leonie Kohu told Stuff her family love the train to visit family in Auckland once a week, and it’s cheaper than bus tickets.

“We see so much on the train, sunrises and sunsets, the kids love it.'

Waikato council leaders say getting Te Huia into Puhinui Station will help boost passenger numbers

But she wanted to see more services, especially a morning service from Papakura to Hamilton, which means she could stay the night in Auckland.

Other commuters Stuff spoke to said the service was comfortable and productive, but they wanted a direct route through to Britomart for efficiency.

Te Huia can't access Britomart directly because the underground station won’t allow diesel trains through – it doesn’t have suitable fire and ventilation safety systems.

Hamilton City Councillor Ewan Wilson said the councils knew the train service they offered was “sub-optimal”.

But he, and other city leaders, maintain upcoming improvements will make the service more attractive, boosting passengers.

Wilson told Stuff he’s confident an extra later morning service – including an outbound service from Papakura, will start from July 2021.

The regional council has also confirmed more Saturday services, which will arrive into The Strand in downtown Auckland.

But with the Auckland rail network so heavily congested, that may not happen for months.

The Waikato councils are also pushing for Te Huia to get into the $69 million refurbished Puhinui Station near Papatoetoe, which is due to open in July 2021.

Wilson said Puhinui has huge “strategic” importance, because it’s also a bus hub with a direct transfer to Auckland airport every 12 minutes.

It's also an access point to reach central Auckland on two tracks, or to get to Manukau by bus.

KiwiRail chief operating officer Todd Moyle said “operational matters” needed to be worked through with agreement from Auckland Transport, before Te Huia could reach the station.

Waikato Regional Council chair Russ Rimmington said the vision, of a direct Hamilton to central Auckland commuter service, is not dead.

“I’m confident that will happen in five years,” Rimmington told Stuff.

Wilson said the train – connecting two major growth cities, taking cars off the road, reducing emissions – should not be scrapped in the meantime.

“Is a motorway only option sensible? If you look around the world you'd say that it isn't.

“You will meet some people who are ideologically programmed to say trains are a waste of time, and it's all about roads, and I say: I respectfully disagree with you.”