10min West & Huapai Services Feb?

 

The next major timetable upgrade after this weekend’s is projected for sometime in the first three months of the year - probably just before March.

This upgrade would include 10 minute frequency for the Western Line.

ARTA says this timing depends on Kiwirail’s construction, testing and commissioning of track and signalling upgrades, the subject of intense work over the Christmas-New Year rail shutdown.

Kiwirail is unable to say at this point when exactly this will be completed.

ARTA has expressed the hope it will be before March, when services get extra busy with tertiary institutions firing up for the year.

The ARC is still considering the possibility of  services to Huapai but ARTA says if such services are to be introduced, they should be at the same time as those early 2011 timetable changes.

An ARC committee today will consider a suggestion for hourly peak and 2 hourly interpeak services to Huapai.

But given that it is not proposed that services be introduced until early or mid 2011, any decision at this time by either ARTA or ARC will get referred to the new Auckland Transport and Auckland Council for review and any final decision.

It is projected that a Huapai service may see an average of 100 fares a day with the annual net cost dependent on track access cost negotiations with Kiwirail, and possibly anything between $360k and 530k.

The Helensville to Auckland rail service, which began as a trial on July 14 2008, was canned on Christmas Eve.

ARTA said that on average of 43 passengers per day had travelled in total on the three daily services.

An ARTA review found that Huapai has been the most popular station during the Helensville rail trial.

The last Helensville trip on Christmas Eve

In its Rail Development Plan, Huapai is listed as a terminus station on the western line, with a regular hourly service planned for introduction after the electrification of the core Auckland network.

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8 Comments

 
  1. Matt L says:

    I’m looking forward to 10 min frequencies out west, that should really help to make trains even more convienent. I also hope we see more frequent off peak services and in particular better weekend services.

  2. Joshua says:

    10min Frequencies and intergrated ticketing in 2011!!!!!!!!Are we starting to track towards a world class transport system?

  3. GJA says:

    Yes and 2011 is only four months away. We (the government) should just keep the momentum going. We cannot put all these great things in place just to fall behind again.

  4. Andy says:

    10 minutes sounds great! That’s getting to the point where you don’t have to look at a timetable, you can just go anytime and wait!

  5. Andrew says:

    Now if only we could do something about the 20-odd km/h average speed on the west line …

  6. Matt L says:

    Andrew - lets not get our hopes up that high.

  7. Kurt says:

    Lets hope the weekend frequency improves. Hourly is what it was in the 90′s and it is uttely hopeless given the vast improvement the line has undergone.

  8. Anthony M says:

    This should be used in wellington as well.

 

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