Te Huia


Te Huia is a planned passenger train service between Hamilton and Papakura. It will be a five year trial with subsidies from the NZ Transport Agency and Waikato local authorities, with the service to commence some time in November 2020.

Initial proposals

After the June 2006 announcement of the Overlander's cancellation, there were proposals to re-instate the Waikato Connection, including from Dave Macpherson, Hamilton City Council's Passenger Transport Committee chairman. The Overlander's cancellation was subsequently rescinded, eliminating the possibility of using its rolling stock on a new Waikato Connection, but other proposals have remained due to increased vehicular traffic volumes straining road capacity. These proposals include using the Silver Fern railcars as in the original Waikato Connection, though they were at the time under contract for suburban commuter trains between Auckland and Pukekohe. Proposals were floated in 2007 to reinstate the service. An interim proposal from the Rail Working Group in 2011 recommended further assessment of three options:
This proposal addressed cost concerns raised by the affected local government organisations by making use of existing rolling stock and infrastructure where possible and avoiding use of the Britomart Transport Centre which, because of capacity constraints, was not available for peak-time arrivals and departures of such a service.
The proposal was dropped on a 2011 report in favour of extension only from Pukekohe to Tuakau, but that was also shelved. In 2016 the Transport Minister said, when starting work on a parallel section of Waikato Expressway costing over $2bn, "it will be some time before it makes its case economically".
A further study to establish a strategic business case was started in 2017. It identified the lack of a third line to Auckland and consequently, a journey time of over 2hrs 20mins as obstacles. Regional Council's 2018 Long Term Plan consultation also includes a question asking whether Hamilton ratepayers will pay about $11 a year for a skeleton commuter service from Hamilton to Papakura. A paper for the same plan proposes a Hamilton–Papakura bus link, taking 1hr 20mins, 10 minutes faster and much cheaper, at an estimated annual cost of $54,000.

Re-introduction of service

ATAP, Auckland's 2018–2028 plan provided for Pukekohe electrification, a third line from Westfield to Wiri and further new electric trains, probably part of up to $205m a year proposed by government for 'Transitional rail' spending, which may include a Hamilton service.
The Sixth Labour Government promised commuter rail in 18 months to Hamilton and commuter rail to Hamilton and Tauranga. Hamilton residents want a passenger service right into Auckland. Labour MP Jamie Strange expected the service to be operating by the end of 2019.
A 2018 Waikato Regional Council plan aims to have more than 95% of peak rail trips completed in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes within 5 years, 2 hours within 15 years and eventually 90 minutes.
In November 2018, the proposed service from March 2020 was expected to take 1 hour 31 minutes from Frankton to Papakura, stopping at Rotokauri and Huntly; and transferring at Papakura to another train to take 2 hours 29 minutes total to Britomart. Detailed planning in 2018 put the start date back to March 2020. In 2019 there was discussion over the level of NZTA funding.
The delayed supply of new bogies from overseas delayed by two months the startup from March to May 2020.
In 2019, the unofficially popular name of Tron Express was announced and the start date further delayed to mid-2020. But Tron received fewest positive comments and was the least well liked in focus groups, so Te Huia was then recommended by two Waikato councils.
KiwiRail says that the service will run on Monday to Friday and Saturday, with a running time of 88 minutes. The train will run between Hamilton railway station and Papakura railway station with stops at Rotokauri and Huntly railway station.
The service introduction has now been delayed by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
The indicative initial timetable is:
Station
Hamilton 5:546:33Britomart16:3017:30
The Base6:026:41Papakura 17:1818:18
Huntly6:257:04Papakura 17:2718:27
Papakura 7:228:01Huntly18:2319:28
Papakura 7:348:12The Base18:4519:50
Britomart8:249:04Hamilton18:5219:57

At present the only similar service is by InterCity bus, leaving Hamilton at 5.30am and arriving at Auckland at 8am and returning at 7pm, to reach Hamilton at 8.49pm.

Rolling stock

There will be two consists of four refurbished SA and SD carriages carriages, each with capacity for 147 commuters and a café car. The refurbished former Auckland Transport SA and SD cars will become KiwiRail SR class.
The two consists will have two SR, one SRC and one SRV carriages; with an overall capacity of 300 passengers each way daily, and could increase to two five-carriage consists with a capacity of 400 passengers each way daily.
The three carriage designs are:
The carriages will retain the modern metro-style doors which are easier for wheelchair users and cyclists to use, so will not have the wide windows as fitted to the Wairarapa Connection carriages which have traditional “quarter” doors .
The service will use overhauled DFB locomotives. Initially the empty trains will run to Otahuhu railway station and the Westfield sidings during the day, and will be serviced at a new carriage depot at the Rotokauri station at night.
The service may extend to Puhinui railway station from 2022 and The Strand Station from 2024 or when the third Main Line project is finished.

Future options

In 2019, the New Zealand government approved a review into upgrading the rail line to accommodate a maximum speed of 160 km/h, which would halve the journey times between Auckland and Hamilton.
Also in 2019, a group made up of local councils and the Ministry of Transport issued a 'Shared Statement of Spatial Intent'. It envisages that suburban electric services may extend to Pokeno within 10 years and that, beyond that, the whole route would be electrified and faster alignments be created via the Bombay Hills, around the Whangamarino wetland and east of Huntly. It also suggests a spur to Hamilton Airport.