The Wheels on the Train go Round and – oh sod off…
Auckland Transport must dread the last week of every month when they get round to releasing their agenda and public transport patronage reports for the previous month. To be honest I would not blame them either being in their shoes when bloggers like myself and ATB sit patiently waiting for AT to release the material onto the web and when it does we both go through the material with an electron microscope.
Last night at around 9pm was no different when the agenda and February 2013 Public Transport Patronage figures finally were released (I have them below embedded) on the AT website for the world to see. Auckland Transport Blog went diligently looking into this new Integrated Transport Plan (ITP) and wrote a post on how rather sad it is this morning – thanks Matt for that, while BR:AKL went to look at the patronage figures hoping to see something positive but got the absolute opposite.
From BR:AKL’s “RAIL PATRONAGE BELOW 10 MILLION:”
STOP PRESS: Auckland‘s Rail Patronage Below 10 Million
Just in from Auckland Transport. I have just scoured the latest Auckland Transport Patronage Figures for ‘as-of’ February 2013 especially for rail.
There was a time two years ago when I was side by side with the mayor while working for Veolia Transport Auckland feeling proud and delighted with the Mayor that we had hit our 10 millionth rail passenger marking a new age for Auckland’s rail network. There was even cake and a photo of the occasion somewhere too.
However I read the latest rail patronage figures this evening released by AT at their website. You can see the figures in the embed below but I bring your attention to page ten of twenty-seven – the rail figures which stand at 9,996,066 today. A slippage from the 10,900,000 peak in August 2012 to now just under 10 million.
I wonder what AT will trot out on Wednesday at that meeting with now basically half the city alerted after the figures went around Twitter and Facebook…
Yep the city was pretty much alerted last night with reactions to this rather sad but expected news still happening today.
Tomorrow the AT Board will meet at AT HQ in Henderson where they will hear the latest on the continued flagging patronage statistics (especially the rail stats) from Auckland Transport Chief Operating Officer – Greg Edmonds. I think I am going to do a first and actually show up at that AT Board meeting tomorrow as they are mostly open to the public. My presence is often felt in the Council Transport Committee, and Strategy and Finance Committee so will try my luck at AT tomorrow afternoon…
Look what am I meant to honestly say now after month after month reporting and commenting on the flagging patronage since September 2012 last year. This applies to solutions as well as it is like I am flogging a dead horse half rotted into the ground with these continued flagging statistics.
And so again I am going to trot out some things AT can actually do to turn these flagging rail stat’s around – the actual simple stuff first, infrastructure later (and a reference to Auckland Transport Blog as what I am about to post, some of it comes from them):
- Reintroduce the Family Pass – make every ticket machine sell the Family Pass. $57.80 for 2 adults and 4 kids to run around the rail network in the off peak and weekend due to no Family Pass is enough to put any person off travelling on the rail road
- Step up the Onehunga and Western Line weekend frequencies from hourly to at least half hourly. And with the Western Line that means going to Swanson on a Sunday rather than Henderson as of current
- Begin an overhaul on the timetable. Pukekohe passengers are still fuming some six months later that their 18:00 Britomart to Pukekohe Service via Newmarket has disappeared…
- Wasn’t going to mention infrastructure but for heaven’s sake AT, pull finger and find a way to build:
- Selwyn Station replacing the Meadowbank Station
- Spartan Road Station near Te Mahia replacing Te Mahia Station
- Walters or rather the Glenora Road Station in Addison replacing Takanini Station
- Build the Manukau Rail South Link by 2014 to allow flexibility of new running option when the EMU’s start coming on stream
- No more Fare Rises! Everyone is anticipating one so surprise us and hold fares for the next 12 months until the new integrated fares are on stream fully
Right then I have listed some things above that might actually get things going again with our rail system short of full-blown studies and overhauls. But seriously Where Next for Auckland Transport as I am at a loss here at this current rate…
Meaning if I were to put my thoughts to pixels on a blog I would be thinking:
I mentioned in my GOING FORWARD post how I was quietly confident and excited that one aspect of Auckland’s public transport was looking brighter after successes at Transport, and Strategy and Finance Committees over the last year. After reading this post one would think how in hell do I maintain that confidence and excitement of pushing through private citizen led rather that civic institution led change for better transport when I see depressing patronage figures and huge amounts of arse covering from the AT Executive (this is the CEO, COO and so on – not the AT Board). I wonder how I keep that enthusiasm going when basically (as last month showed if you read between the lines) I have to drag AT through kicking and screaming to go do something positive rather than both AT and myself partnering up and going through this together in a more graceful manner. Again as I said:
In saying that I do stress that there is a partnership between the private citizen and the public civic institutions and that the citizen will always do their maintain that partnership to move Auckland forward. As the city does need the partnership, not one party either taking it all own their own or going on an empire building exercise as it simply (as often seen) will not work.
Partnership, not dragging someone through kicking and screaming. However if kicking and screaming what it takes then fine I’ll do it – but I rather not…
So again Where Next for Auckland Transport? Well first of all it is back before the Transport Committee next month to try to again leverage some influence to get through the next round of “recommendations” through to get these flagging figures turned around. Failing that it is off to Henderson tomorrow for the AT Board Meeting to see what I can learn there in advance. After that I am going to be stumped here…
By the way, if someone from AT (Mr Edmonds that would be you here) would like to flick me an email or give me a call sometime BEFORE the next Transport Committee meeting next month, I shall arrange a “coffee date” at a location of your convenience and we can catch up for 15-20 minutes over some idea exchanging.
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