Folly to lose train

In the past irresponsible and thoughtless people in this country caused the extinction of one of our finest birds, the huia. Such folly must not be allowed to happen again through the ill-considered actions of politicians of its name-sake, the Te Huia train service between Hamilton and Auckland.

Minister of Transport Simeon Brown has a fixation on cars and motorways as solutions to transport congestion. This outdated thinking has long been discredited by transport experts worldwide and many countries are now making large investments in rail infrastructure. Even the USA, dominated by the automobile, recently announced a multi-billion dollar rail development program.

The road focus by Minister Brown can in part be excused by his youth and obvious inexperience but he needs to listen to informed authorities.

The way of the world for intercity transport has been the development of rail after many decades of concentrating on roads, which has only added to the problems of congestion.

The Te Huia passenger train service is a very modest step in rail transport between our largest city and the country's fastest growing city on track to be the third largest. It can only expand as these cities and their interconnection grow. But it must be supported in the early stages.

It is simply a no brainier, as transport experts and economists say, not to do so. Every effort must be made by the Government and local politicians to support it and improve it. Extinction is not a rational option.

Russell O Armitage, Hamilton