In Wellington the electric suburban rail network is the core of sustainable regional passenger transport. However, the system is incomplete and does not meet the current need for seamless mass transit into the Region’s centre. The lack of CBD rail access was noted as a serious issue in 1959, and an underground rail extension was planned but faded from view as motorway construction proceeded. A cheaper variant -light rail transit (LRT)- was the subject of a positive (though highly conservative) consultants’ report commissioned by the Regional and City Councils in 1995. The current (1999– 2004) Regional Land Transport Strategy acknowledges the lack of CBD rail access as a problem and envisages the eventual development of LRT, and its use in Lower Hutt and other places in the Region. The author visited and studied LRT, commuter rail and associated transit systems in Texas and the West Coast of North America in October and November 2003. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E212706.
Samenvatting