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I’m in Wellington - and it’s so easy to love this city.
It’s had electric trains for “ever”and new ones coming, is pedestrian-friendly, on a sunny day it’s beautiful, people are friendly and the area around the Waterfront puts us to shame.
Very Wellington: Beehive and a yellow trolley bus
I enjoy the Airport Flyer bus with its few Wi-Fi - and I can use the Snapper card to zap in quickly.
I’ve been riding the trains and it’s always pleasing so see how much of a train city it is with so many people pouring out of them.
They certainly haven’t got the real-time information boards sorted yet judging by these signs lying by the platform!
As discussed in previous posts, a lot of work has going on at the main station to get the wiring ready for the new electric trains.
It looks like old parts of the station infrastructure are breaking down but at least it’s not the actual trains this morning!
Lots of trolley buses and lots of cyclists in the main streets - that gives the feel that Wellington embraces transport options, even though the roads themselves heading into the capital are very busy.
11 Comments
I think Wellington has managed well with the run down train service it has been surviving on for the last 70 years, your pictures just go to show what years of running on an oily rag looks like with ramshackle stations, manual destination signs and dented old trains.
rtc, yes but at least they have the infrastructure there, all they need is a bit of TLC, where we are stuck with trying to create that infrastructure here in Auckland, we don’t even have wires above our tracks!
The ‘manual destination signs’ were out because we had a power cut yesterday, so the electronic ones weren’t working! I for one am glad that they keep manual options, and was very impressed with how well the station was running yesterday when the rest of the city was at a complete standstill.
@Colin - thanks for the info re: the signs. I’m not criticising Wellington, rather it pains me to see how NZ as a country has run its PT system into the ground and is ramping up to do so once more, after a few years where it looked like we had turned the corner, and were seeing investment.
Wellington is to undergo platform improvements in the coming months. Notice how our station is yet to get the tactile strip along the platforms. Improvements include:
- Asphalting all Platforms
- Refinishing the edges of the Platforms
- The Addition of Tactile Strips
- Replacement of platforms 1 and 2
First Time I went to Wellington Station I thought the platforms looked a little run down… It is a great station though and just need a large investment to be fantastic…
Auckland could be Wellington supersized if we just start running our buses properly, add the CBD loop, more cycling infrastructure and few new ferries…
Don’t forget to take a ride up the rejuvenjated Johnsonville Line while you’re there. I believe that the first Ganz unit ever went up there the other day.
Who could forget Mr Friedlander’s “famous slightly self-serving suggestion to turn this into a busway a few years ago. One can still hear the echos of laughter up the “Gorge” I believe!
The station maybe be run down a little in some places, but its a truly amazing place!
if they just replaced the shelters at the man satation, it’ll be perfect!
Just to confrim Wellington station platforms are mid refurbishment. Work crews are ripping the old surface up and re-paving a but more everynight in 6 hour windows between 10.30pm and 4.30am. In addition, the seats and rubbish bins are beinf removed painted and refitted. Tactile edges strips are due to be added as part of this work.
As noted, the city wide black out knocked the electronic signs and automatic PA system off air, hence the old manual boards were dusted off.
It’ll be good for Wellington to become a true rail city again, with the refurbishment going on, while it won’t be transformational as Auckland’s likely will, it will be a return to a quality network, patronage has suffered a bit as the age of stations and rolling stock begins to show…