Budget delivers good news
Funding locked and loaded for new hybrid trains and free fares for under 13s
This is a column of celebration, acknowledgement, and most definitely appreciation. Last week’s Government Budget 2023 delivered the excellent news that funding has been locked and loaded for the new hybrid trains that will service Otaki and communities to the north, and also for our regional neighbours in the Wairarapa.
As I wrote in my column earlier this month, over the last five years GWRC has taken up the advocacy for our community to save the existing Capital Connection service, and elevated that advocacy to deliver a formal Budget bid for new trains and expand the services to more options for Otaki.
GWRC has already locked in $70 million in for our share of the funding in our Long Term Plan — which had never happened before. We were showing we would do our part to support this huge investment, because we understood our communities wanted it, and that it would be wise investment for our local communities.
The Budget bid was developed from a business case to demonstrate the economic benefits for our region and beyond. Aside from the economic benefits, there are certainly obvious environmental benefits with the hybrid trains reducing emissions.
Now the work begins to undertake the international tender process for the new trains.
There were some other wins in the Budget for public transport users, with free fares for under 13-year-olds and half-price fares for anyone 25 and under to be funded as part of the Government’s public transport subsidy.
At GWRC we’re always looking for ways to make public transport even more appealing, and mindful of how we can help families who are finding it difficult to balance their own budget. The discounted fares will be introduced as soon as possible with a number of issues to be ironed out by public transport authorities.
Travel in off-peak periods will now be especially affordable for those 25 and under, with Greater Wellington recently introducing 50 per cent offpeak travel discounts, which will also apply to the half price fares. This latest announcement from the Government comes in addition to the previously announced half-priced fares for community services card holders and total mobility users. More information on the community card service holder and total mobility discounts will be released by the Ministry of Social Development, alongside an information campaign from Metlink.