Yesterday’s Northern Outlook featured a proposal to set up a rail commuter service from Sefton to Christchurch.
This is not on the immediate horizon for the region’s transport planners for a number of reasons. They are proposing to have dedicated bus lanes to speed up the bus service. Why?
- Buses are more flexible than trains – they can be taken into the further parts of Kaiapoi and Rangiora – and Christchurch, closer to where people live and work.
- Unlike heavy rail, buses can be taken into the centre of Christchurch.
- Buses are a lot lot cheaper to buy than trains.
- A successfiul commuter train service probably requires double-tracking the railway lines – hugely expensive, especially when you factor in the Waimakariri River bridge.
Yes, there used to be a train. But it was one train in the morning and one in the evening. The buses currently run every 30 minutes in peak hours – could trains?
I believe that one day there will be a commuter rail service to Christchurch, but I don’t think it is likely in the near future.
Tags: Buses, Canterbury, Community, Commuting, Kaiapoi New Zealand, Rangiora New Zealand, Waimakariri District
