Does he agree with the Mayor of Auckland's statement that freight trains should not be running at peak commute times on the Auckland metro rail network; if not, why not?

Answer

The Day-1 CRL timetable has been jointly discussed and agreed by the Timetable Committee which includes Auckland Transport, Great Journeys NZ, KiwiRail freight and Waikato Regional Council, representing Te Huia. KiwiRail has a small number of slots for freight movements south of Wiri each hour during the three-hour morning and evening peak periods. There are no freight trains travelling in any other part of the city during these times. We took the Mayor’s comments to be in regard to the ‘high peak,’ meaning 7-8am and 5-6pm. If he was referring to the high peak, then yes, we agree passenger movements must be the priority and we understand KiwiRail is working with their customers and the large number of transport entities involved in Auckland on this matter. We also have due regard to the production schedules of New Zealand businesses and the people who work for those businesses. This is a balancing act that requires careful consideration.