John MacDonald: $600M for rail is a good start, but it's just a start

Published May 20, 2025, 1:06 AM

In an ideal world, I would love us to have more trains.  

 In an ideal world, I think it would be great if all our big cities had rail passenger services.  

Not just Auckland and Wellington that Transport Minister Chris Bishop was talking about when he announced this morning that there’s $600 million in this week’s Budget going into rail.  

I won’t go all scratched record on it and start asking where the money is for the Greater Christchurch area, but I would love to see money going into commuter rail here.    

Because if we do think rail has a future in New Zealand —and I’m talking about passenger rail as well as sending freight by rail— I think it’s more realistic to expect commuters to take the train than people going out of town on holiday.  

So that’s one area where I’d put the money – into passenger trains. And that’s probably my ideal world scenario, which I’ll come back to. 

What I think is certainly more achievable though, is getting more freight shipped around the place on trains. Because we’ve shown how bad we are as a country at maintaining our roading network. And, if you believe the rail advocates, they’ll tell you that the main problem is trucks. That they’re responsible for chewing up the roads.  

And, when you travel down the east coast of the South Island, it does strike you how much of a donkey track State Highway 1 is in parts.  

Yet we seem to be quite happy for these trucks —designed in countries where they do have massive motorways— to go up and down that donkey track night and day, 365 days a year.  

So get more freight on trains first. And then, if we’re going to do anything more with passenger trains, focus on getting people to work and school on a train instead of expecting them to go to Nelson for their holidays on a train. 

Because I’ve long thought how brilliant it would be if we had a rail service from Rangiora to the city and from Rolleston to the city.  

Imagine what the motorways would look like. Imagine getting into town on a train —not a bus, where you can get all the same disruptions as other vehicles— but you scream into town on the train, you don’t have to worry about finding a park, and then get the train back home again in the evening.  

The Canterbury Regional Transport Committee obviously likes the sound of that too. 

This is the entity that involves all councils in the canterbury region —including ECAN— and NZTA. And the number one job of the regional transport committee is to implement the Canterbury Regional Transport Plan. 

In recent years, there’s been talk of passenger rail services running from the city to Rolleston and as far north as Amberley. 

Reading the most recent regional transport plan, the enthusiasm that we were hearing a couple of years seems from the transport committee seems to have been tempered a bit.  

There is still political interest in a passenger rail service south of Christchurch but there are no timeframes and, of course, where the money comes from is the stumbling block.  

But there are positive signs if you're into the idea of rail, like I am.  

The regional transport plan sets a goal of increasing the amount of freight moved by train in Canterbury by 100% over the next eight or nine years. So that’s good.  

But it also talks about the population of Selwyn growing by around 58,000 people over the next 20-and-a-bit years. And, in Waimakariri, the population is expected to go up by 25,000 people in the same period.  

Christchurch is expected to have another 66,000 people. 

So there’s an extra 149,000 people living in the Greater Christchurch area, and we think the Northern Motorway and the Southern Motorway are going to be just fine? Dream on. 

And that’s the argument right there for passenger rail services in the Greater Christchurch area.  

Which is why when I ask, should we be investing more in rail here in Canterbury, my answer is yes. 

You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald from News TALKSB.

You know, in an ideal world, I would love us to have more trains. In an ideal world, I think it would be brilliant if all our big cities had rail passenger services, not just Auckland and Wellington. The Transport Minister Chris Bishop was talking about when he announced to Mike earlier this morning that there's going to be six hundred million dollars in this week's budget going into rail. I won't get all scratched record on it and start asking where the money is for the Grade christ Ditch area, but I would love to see money going into commuter rail here because if we do think rail has a future in New Zealand, and I'm talking here about passenger rail as well as sending frank by rail, then I think it's way more realistic to expect commuters to take the train than people going out of town on holiday. So that's one area where I would put the money into passenger trains, and that's probably that's probably my ideal world scenario, which I'll come back to. What I think is certainly more achievable though, is getting more freight shipped around the place on trains, because we've shined, haven't we how bad we are as a country at maintaining a roading network. And if you believe, if you believe the rail advocates, I'll tell you that the main problems trucks. That the trucks, they're the ones or they're the vehicles chewing up the roads. And when you travel down the east coast of the South Islands, you know it's to a trip from so Pickton to christ Church. It strikes she, doesn't it how much of a donkey track state highway one is in parts. Yet we seem to be quite happy for these trucks, by the way, designed in countries where they do have massive motorways to accommodate them. But we're more than happy for these trucks to go up and down that donkey track night and day, three hundred and sixty five days a year. So where I'm at is, yes, brilliant. Let's see more investment in rail. Get more freight on trains first, that's the priority though, and then if we're going to do anything more with passenger trains, focus on getting people to work in school on a train. Instead of expecting them to go to Nelson for their holidays on a train. Because I've long thought you may be the same. You may not, But I've long thought how brilliant it would be if we had a rail service from Rungi Order to the city and from Rolliston to the city. Imagine what those motorways would look like then, and imagine getting into town on a train not a bus, where you can get all the same disruptions as other vehicles. You scream into town on the train, don't have to worry about finding a park, and then get the train back home again in the evening if you're a nine to five office worker. The Canterbury Regional Transport Committee obviously likes the sound of that as well. This is the entity that involves all councils in the Canterbury region, including e CAN as well as NZTA, and the number one job of the Regional Transport Committee is to implement the Canterbury Regional Transport Plan. It's the last bit of Lingo promise and in recent years there's been talk of passenger rail services running from the city to Roliston and as far north as Ambly. Now I was going through the most recent Regional Transport Plan. I did it on your behalf. You don't need to. And the enthusiasm that we were hearing from e can a couple of years ago seems to have been tempered a bit. Still seems to be some political interest though in a passenger rail service south of christ Church, but no timeframes, and of course where the money comes from is the stumbling block. But there are positive signs if you're into the idea of rail like I am. The plan sets a goal of increasing the amount of freight moved by train in Canterbury by one hundred percent over the next eight or nine years. That's good. It also talks about the population of Selwyn give This growing by around fifty eight thousand people over the next twenty in a bit years, and in Weimak the population expected to go up by about twenty five thousand in the same period. Christ Church another sixty six thousand people. So there's an extra what have we got one hundred and forty nine thousand people, let's say one hundred and fifty there's an extra one hundred and fifty thousand people living in the Great christ Ateria. And we think the Northern Motorway and the Southern Motorway and us driving in cars. We're going to be just fine. Dream on, dream on, And that's the argument right there for passenger rail services and the greater christ Churcheria, which is my answers to the question I'm going to put to you this morning is yes, when I ask you, should we be investing more in rail, especially here in Canterbury. Yes.

For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live to news talks at be Christchurch from nine am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.

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