Worsening motorway congestion & no train services

The NZTA have reported that morning peak congestion periods on Auckland’s motorways are starting earlier for no apparent. The reason is quite obvious. Auckland’s population is growing at a rapid rate and together, with sky rocketing house prices and rents, people are having to live further out of the city and commuting in by car due to the lack of train services outside the urban fringes of the city.
Traffic regularly banks up to a standstill along SH16 through Kumeu and as far south as Drury on the Southern Motorway during morning weekday peak periods. Yet despite there being railway lines through these areas, there are either no train services or stations to serve them.
An easy and effective solution would be for the NZTA and Auckland Transport to extend the reach of train services west to Helensville and south to Pokeno and Waiuku using some of the now surplus diesel trains that Auckland has, which would help ease pressure on the city’s congested motorways.

Joan Williamson, Pokeno