Kapiti Coast railway upgrade details revealed

Details of Kapiti Coast station upgrades and train stabling facilities that will support the electrification and double-tracking extensions to Waikanae were announced by Greater Wellington Regional Council’s chair Fran Wilde tonight.

Cr Wilde told a public meeting at Raumati that surveys of train users at Paraparaumu station – the largest on the Kapiti Coast – had shown that commuters were most concerned about service reliability and faster journey times.

“We took into account these concerns when deciding on the prioritisation of improvements and believe that the initial package – to be delivered by 2010 – will be of immense benefit.

“Improvements to existing railway stations at Waikanae and Paraparaumu are a priority. This includes the addition of better bus interchange facilities and stabling for trains. These improvements will work with the double tracking and electrification to Waikanae to deliver a more frequent and reliable service,” Fran Wilde said.

The future of extra stations at Lindale and Raumati will be determined after 2010 when the benefits of the first tranche of work and subsequent travel patterns are established.

“Key issues that will shape the need for new railway stations at Lindale and Raumati South are localised population growth and the exact way the proposed new station locations would be accessed from the Western Link Road. Other issues relevant to plans for a station at Raumati South include an unstable hill behind the railway line, provision for park and ride facilities and access issues complicated by the proximity of a busy state highway,” Fran Wilde said.

Central Government last year announced a funding package of $70million over three years for this work.