A campaign to get a dedicated passenger rail service running between Hamilton and Auckland has had a shot in the arm with an 11,500 signature petition presented to local MPs in Hamilton today.Other than the Overlander, the cities have not had a passenger
A campaign to get a dedicated passenger rail service running between Hamilton and Auckland has had a shot in the arm with an 11,500 signature petition presented to local MPs in Hamilton today.
Other than the Overlander, the cities have not had a passenger rail link for several years, and growing support to get one reinstated led to Labour committing to do so before such hopes were dashed in the party's 2008 election defeat.
Local Labour MP Sue Moroney this morning said she had received the petition from Campaign for Better Transport and would present it to Parliament this week.
She and Green Party MP Gareth Hughes, along with local Hamilton city councillors, were backing the campaign, saying there was plenty of demand for train services from locals who currently commute to Auckland in cars.
Councillor Dave Macpherson said a council survey found there was 80 percent support for the service, along with indications that surrounding areas such as Tauranga and Rotorua would make use of it. Between 700 and 800 people a day were likely to use it, he said.
Ms Moroney said the Government and regional council Environment Waikato had to be involved to get the service going, and she would keep the pressure on them.
The Government has committed to spending money on Hamilton's new expressway, and when the petition was presented today, National's Hamilton East MP David Bennett told locals that the expressway was the priority.
