Kapiti News Column from Nigel Wilson, Greater Wellington Regional Councillor for Kapiti.
Public Transport is the biggest ticket item for the Greater Wellington
Regional Council with about 60% of our annual budget devoted to bus and rail
services.
While Greater Wellington is heavily involved in a wide range of activities
including environmental management, flood protection, regional economic
development and pest control work it is transport that dominates the budget.
In Kapiti we have seen huge gains with the building of the double tracking of
commuter rail through to Waikanae. In addition we are getting major railway
station upgrades at Paraparaumu and Waikanae and a new fleet of trains. The
first of the new Matangi units (2 cars) departed the Port of Masan, South
Korea this week and is expect to arrive early August.
And as pleased as I am with that progress we need more.
The Raumati railway station needs to take priority in the regional rail plan.
The Raumati community is the only urban community on the Western Line without
a station. Raumati has a the population right now to justify a station.
Surveys have shown the people of Raumati would be much higher users of public
transport with the addition of a railway station.
My other important rail priority is to see the double tracking and
electrification of the rail lines to Otaki. This makes sense on so many levels
it is surprising it isn’t happening already. Kapiti has been in the top group
of population growth districts for several years and this trend looks set to
continue with Otaki a likely area for that growth.
I will be continuing discussions with our local MPs who have all expressed
support for the rail extending to Otaki. Both Nathan Guy and Darren Hughes
have pledged their support, as have Winnie Laban and Hekia Parata.
There have been discussions, promises and threats of all sorts of grand, and
not so grand, roads through, over and around Kapiti for decades. Irrespective
of our views about Expressways, Transmission Gully or any other road that may
or may not happen and even if they do happen nothing is scheduled to be
completed in the next decade.
In the meanwhile where is our bridge over the Waikanae River. Everyone in
Kapiti knows it should have been built years ago and yet it is still on the
waiting list. The response is simple – BUILD IT NOW.