Off rails: Teen faces five-hour commute
An Auckland student faces a fivehour daily commute to get to and from university next semester as a public transport crisis hits the Super City.
Chunks of Auckland’s rail network will be closed in 2023 to make way for upgrades, new stations and electric trains.
University students commuting to the city, particularly from suburbs on the outskirts of Auckland, are among many people who will need alternative travel options in place of the closed railway services.
South Auckland mother Kay Neate made a desperate plea on social media seeking other commuting options for her teenage daughter in 2023.
Jorja Neate, 17, will be starting her first year at Auckland University and will need to commute from Pukekohe to central Auckland daily.
With current alternative public transport options, her round trip will take five hours every day.
Neate told the Weekend Herald it was concerning to think her daughter would need to be on public transport that long.
“There’s an element of her safety that I’m concerned about because she’s a young girl travelling by herself,” she said.
“That’s also five hours out of her day where she could be studying because I don’t really think it’s that practicable to study on a train or a bus.”
Neate has also tried other avenues for assistance, to no avail.
“We tried to get her a scholarship for being rural or out of zone but because she’s within the Auckland City boundaries, she doesn’t qualify, and they don’t take into account the travel time,” she said.
“Because we work as parents, she doesn’t qualify for any student allowance so if she wants to live in [university] halls to stop having to travel, she has to fund that herself.
“I just don’t think, from an education point of view, they’ve put anything in place to encourage anyone to want to go to university.”
Auckland Transport (AT) acknowledges the impact on thousands of students.
“We understand this is a challenging time for public transport users and we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our customers.”
AT is looking to implement AT
There’s an element of her safety that I’m concerned about . . . she’s a young girl.
Kay Neate, student’s mother
Local in Pukekohe in mid-2023, subject to funding.
“This is a ride-share service which connects people to public transport. We introduced this service in Takanini and Papakura in 2021, which we have received great feedback from locals who have flocked to the service.”
KiwiRail is doing a major upgrade of the Auckland rail network in the next few years, in preparation for the City Rail Link (CRL) opening.
The Rail Network Rebuild will focus on repairing the underlying foundations of the tracks.
“It is a massive job, which involves taking up the track, digging down up to two metres, and replacing the rock base that the tracks sit on,” said KiwiRail general manager Jon Knight.
“The tracks then have to be put back in.”
Knight said KiwiRail and AT were making significant strides to ensure minimal impacts on commuters, while still meeting the deadline for the CRL opening.