Subscribe to RSSRWC Trains To Hamilton?
KiwiRail is considering running excursion trains between Hamilton and Auckland during the RWC 2011 to tie in with 10 matches in either Hamilton or Auckland.
But a Waikato development agency called Opportunity Hamilton wants a service to cover the full 42 days of RWC.
Opportunity Hamilton has supported the idea of a commuter service, an idea backed up by CBT’s organised 11,500-strong petition.
Now the agency,working in partnership with the Waikato Chamber of Commerce, is proposing this different – yet related – commuter train option specifically around the Rugby World Cup.
“It is an option, we believe, that could be just what is needed to gain momentum and establish the Hamilton-Auckland service once and for all,” says the agency.
It approached KiwiRail about the feasibility of this idea.
“Before we embarked on developing the business case, we wanted to know if the idea had legs and would gain support from KiwiRail. It quickly replied that it had already begun evaluating options for deployment of passenger rolling stock for the Rugby World Cup and a Hamilton-Auckland service is one option it is exploring.”
Opportunity Hamilton and the Chamber plan further discussions, to discuss the business case and progress the idea with relevant stakeholders.
RWC 2011 visitors would spend more money shopping in Hamilton
The agency and chamber say the train service during the RWC would get more people out of Auckland, spending their tourism dollars in Waikato hotels, restaurants and shops.
“We believe tourists enjoying the rugby matches in Auckland will see the benefits of avoiding traffic jams and huge city crowds during their downtime by hopping on a short (by international standards) train journey to Hamilton. Their leisure time can truly be leisure time in Hamilton, as they avoid fighting the masses of people and congestion.”
But today’s Waikato Times quotes KiwiRail saying it’s only looking at services for 10 games.
4 Comments
This is amazing news. I think it gives great potential to a revisiting of the petition
Would probably only work with a good publicity campaign so that the tourism punters know about it. But yeah.
awesome idea, I hope they tie in a stop at Pukekohe, plenty of people from there would get on board either way for games considering we have none at Counties Stadium.
10 games is better than nothing for a start, but serially it needs to carry on after the cup, perhaps this is start of the service, if so then lets keep pushing for it
Good opportunity, however I hope the service will run at regular intervals during the duration of the cup, not just for the matches! It would be even better if they open up the underground station in Hamilton.