Passenger rail needs resourcing

Your feature on choosing ‘‘green’’ options for holidaying ( Leave a lighter footprint, Jan 10) offered the sage advice to consider travelling by bus or train to one’s destination. It then expounded on the attractions of the albeit limited passenger train options available.

Unfortunately, travellers looking to use trains this summer will do so in vain, as KiwiRail has stopped them. The Tranz Alpine is set to restart soon, but Auckland-Wellington and Picton-Christchurch – the main services offering an alternative to flying or driving – will remain stopped for the entire season. What will happen after this has yet to be announced.

Some years ago, KiwiRail made the decision – wrongly in my view – to focus exclusively on tourism for its services. Many local stops were deleted and ‘‘ordinary travellers’’ were priced away. With the cessation of international tourism due to Covid, the fragility of this strategy is now apparent.

With planes and cars now blamed for disproportionate carbon emissions, and road transport presenting a major risk to health and safety, passenger trains (ideally electrified) are needed more than ever.

The Government must urgently task KiwiRail with re-establishing passenger trains and properly resource it to do this. Continuing to drift along with a few tourist-only services is not the way forward.

David Bond, Ngaio

Waiting for Omicron

Omicron has become an economic consideration. The poor vaccine efficacy against catching Omicron means we are sitting ducks for rapid spread, at least in the next two months before true full vaccination occurs with boosters.

Schools could close again, vaccinations

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Keeping it out by stopping returnees for two months would tighten supply strangulating the economy too.

Accelerated vaccination, a tightened testing regimen at the border, and accelerated vaccine mandate timetables are required.

None seem urgent, while a holiday break is; but the economic consequences are abysmal. Even the health consequences will stop planned surgery and make emergency departments grind to a standstill.

Death is an economic consideration too, but is less likely with Omicron. Strangulation of the economy is more likely now.

We are just waiting, hopeful the noose won’t tighten soon.

Steve Russell, Auckland [abridged]