The Green Party says it is concerned the Government will reduce its contribution to Kiwirail after Transport Minister Steven Joyce said customers and councils needed to pay their share."Frankly everyone is going to have to hold hands and jump togethe
The Green Party says it is concerned the Government will reduce its contribution to Kiwirail after Transport Minister Steven Joyce said customers and councils needed to pay their share.
"Frankly everyone is going to have to hold hands and jump together if this is to work," Mr Joyce told the 2010 New Zealand Rail Conference.
Mr Joyce detailed huge investments by the Crown in rail infrastructure in Wellington and Auckland and said regional councils in Auckland and Wellington, along with the New Zealand Transport Agency needed to buy-in to rail's future.
"So the infrastructure is improving at a great rate, but the reality is this: neither Auckland nor Wellington are currently paying the actual amounts required to maintain and renew their share of the network."
He also said big freight companies needed to pay more.
Green MP Gareth Hughes said private vehicles and the trucking industries were benefiting from a large increase in spending on new roads under the National Government.
"Rail services are likely to suffer when user charges are increased, particularly when the Government is borrowing to make it cheaper and more convenient to go by road," he said.
Mr Hughes said research showed more roads did not lead to economic growth but there was growth linked to investment in rail.
He said increasing petrol prices and increased use of private cars would be bad for the economy.
