Record numbers on commuter train

A bumper month of patronage for the Hamilton-Auckland trainwas no surprise to rail governance group chair Hugh Vercoe. He puts it down to giving the people what theywant as opposed to half-price fares and the school holidays. Te Huia launched last year amid pandemic uncertainty, and lockdowns soon stopped travel over regional borders. However, with restrictions eased and the service adjusted, April sawrecord numbers of people board the train. Waikato Regional Council figures showthe average number of passengers on weekdays in Aprilwas 260 passengers compared to 82 in March. The biggest day of the monthwas April 29, which saw568 people step aboard, a record for passenger numbers in a single day.