Record numbers on commuter train

A bumper month of patronage for the Hamilton-Auckland train was no surprise to rail governance group chair Hugh Vercoe. He puts it down to giving the people what they want 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 saw record numbers of people board the train. Waikato Regional Council figures showthe average number of passengers on weekdays in April was 260 passengers compared to 82 in March. The biggest day of the month was April 29, which saw 568 people step aboard, a record for passenger numbers in a single day.