8. Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) Link to this
to the Minister of Finance
Can he confirm the Johnsonville railway corridor, including the lines, signalling, and the overhead systems, is owned by ONTRACK on behalf of the Crown, and that neither the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Wellington City Council, nor the Bus and Coach Association has had any discussions with ONTRACK about the line’s future, notwithstanding the fact that the joint councils’ North Wellington Public Transport Study considering the future of the line is in its second stage?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister of Finance) Link to this
The Crown owns the land; ONTRACK owns the facilities on top of the land. There have been no discussions with the Wellington City Council or the Bus and Coach Association. ONTRACK is a participant on the regional land transport committee with the Greater Wellington Regional Council, but no recommendation has been received from the regional land transport committee about its views on the future of the line.
Can the Minister confirm ONTRACK’s view that it strongly favours the retention of the rail service as being consistent with the National Rail Strategy and achievable at a cost of just $5 million for upgrading the line, as opposed to conversion to a guided busway at a cost of up to $115 million and at least 2 years with no service while the conversion is undertaken, even before any buses are bought; will the Government therefore point out to the Wellington City Council the sheer folly of its proposal to convert the Johnsonville line into a busway?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I am advised that ONTRACK strongly supports the retention of the line, and considers that the line should continue to be operated and further developed as a rail line. Neither ONTRACK nor the Government has received any proposal to convert the Johnsonville line into a busway. We would certainly not support that.
Will the Minister give an assurance that in the event the councils do decide to proceed with that conversion, the $115 million minimum cost of conversion to a busway would not be borne by taxpayers but would be a charge against the Wellington City Council, for it to then have to justify to its ratepayers?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
As I have said, we have received no proposal. If we did receive a proposal with that sort of cost, I doubt very much that we would want to give it very serious consideration at all. I see no reason why the taxpayer should fund such a conversion.
Sue KedgleyIf the rail operator, Toll, is not interested in running the passenger rail service the Overlander or properly marketing it, would the Government be willing to fast track another suitable operator into running the service, by making a clear statement that ONTRACK will grant it fair access to a reliable track at a reasonable price; if not, why not?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I understand that the Overlander does not run on the Johnsonville line.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. That was another of the witty put-down remarks by the Minister of Finance. Would it be possible for him to try to address the question? It was a little wide—
Madam SPEAKERI think the difficulty is that the question was very specific, and the member has considerably broadened it. We will have another go, if the Minister would like to answer it in the interests of moving on.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
The member asked a question that was specifically about the Johnsonville line. I fail to see what that has to do with the Overlander, which is a shorter train than the trains on the Johnsonville line. It does not run on the Johnsonville line, and it is not a commuter passenger service. Indeed, it meets nothing in relation to the original question, at all. It is a train.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Could I rephrase my question so that it deals exclusively with the Johnsonville line?
Does he agree that a one-way guided busway, such as has been proposed on the Johnsonville line, would be the only one in the world; would he agree therefore with Peter Dunne that it would be a complete folly to rip up an ongoing rail-track and put in a one-way guided busway, which does not exist anywhere else in the world—it has no other precedent?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
It does seem very strange, but I assume it goes the other way in the evening; otherwise there would be serious congestion in central Wellington before too many days were out.