The Government announced this morning a fleet of 18 new four-car passenger trains for the Wairarapa and Kapiti Coast lines, serving Wellington commuters.
The announcement came just a day after passengers were informed that the schedule for Wellington commuter lines was going to be slashed in half and have its speed reduced due to failures in the limited and outdated specialist equipment.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Transport Minister Michael Wood said the new fleet will deliver "more reliable, efficient, and safer train services", and promised an increased capacity of about 1.5 million trips across the two lines.
Robertson said it will support growth along the rail corridors and boost productivity in the regions and the country as a whole.
The trains will operate on a combination of electricity wires, batteries and fuel, which he said will lower emissions by over half a million tonnes and reduce dependence on foreign energy markets.
"These trains will replace the current fleet, which is from the 1970s and at the end of its useful life. The new fleet will support the introduction of express services which will attract additional commuters, Wood said.
"Despite challenges with the current service frequency, reliability and punctuality, which are a result of the aging fleet; both lines will have exceeded capacity by 2030. This indicates a indicates significant untapped demand for these services."
Both on and off-peak services for the Wairarapa line will be doubled, as will peak services Kapiti Coast line, which will also have two new off-peak services.
The Green party has welcomed the new fleet but said "much more ambition will be needed to build a truly climate-friendly network of intercity passenger services across Aotearoa".
"New Zealand was once a country with frequent, affordable bus and train services joined up right across the country — even to very rural areas. We can connect our communities and safeguard our climate. All it takes is political will," the Green Party's transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said.
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