Working Party Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail

AGENDA Working Party Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail Waikato District Council, Council Chambers, 15 Galileo Street, Ngaruawahia Friday 6 May 2011 2pm Members: Mike Lee Mark Lambert Robin Janson/ Jon Reeves Norm Barker Dave Macpherson Tom Evers-Swindell Andrew McKillop Allan Sanson Laurie Hoverd Auckland Council Auckland Transport Campaign for Better Transport Waikato Regional Council Hamilton City Council KiwiRail NZ Transport Agency Waikato District Council Waipa District Council Staff: Chris Allen Shelley Monrad Bill McMaster Vaughan Payne Vibhuti Chopra Hamilton City Council Waipa District Council Waikato Regional Council Waikato Regional Council Waikato Regional Council Agenda Item 1. Confirmation of minutes 2. Update from Auckland Transport Attachment 1: Proposed Passenger Rail Services report - Auckland Transport Attachment 2: Letter from Auckland Council Transport Committee Chair, Mike Lee 3. Update from KiwiRail 4. Update on submissions received to partner council s 2011/12 Draft Annual Plans 5. Next steps in process 6. General business Doc # 1967013

Attachment 1: Proposed Passenger Rail Services report - Auckland Transport Hamilton and Tuakau - Proposed Rail Services Auckland Transport Recommendations COVER SHEET Date 27 April 2011 Project: Paper Title: Environment Waikato Proposed Passenger Rail Services to Auckland Hamilton and Tuakau - Proposed Passenger Rail Services Auckland Transport Review and Recommendations Written by: Name Title Raymond Siddalls Rail Network Development Lead Signature Reviewed by: Name Title Ken McLeod Rail Projects Lead Signature Recipient: Name Title Mark Lambert Manager Public Transport Operations Signature Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 2

Contents: Contents: Contents: 1. Purpose 2. Summary 3. Options investigated by Auckland Transport 4. Conclusions and Recommendations 5. Next Steps 6. Outstanding Issues APPENDIX 1 MAXX Timetable Options and Rolling Stock Requirements APPENDIX 2 Estimated Capex and Opex Requirements APPENDIX 3 Review and Re-evaluation of Option 3 (requested by the RWG) Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 3

1. Purpose: To identify the most suitable and feasible options for providing commuter passenger rail services from Hamilton and/or Tuakau to Auckland as proposed by Environment Waikato. Detail the infrastructure needed to operate these services and identify the associated costs. Auckland Transport in association with KiwiRail and Veolia Transport is required to: confirm technical/network feasibility detail additional infrastructure needed to meet the operational safety and customer service requirements identify any required civil works and/or rail network modifications and estimates of the associated costs. provide budget estimate for annual operating costs recommend the most suitable service options detail any likely negative impact on Auckland Transport present and planned passenger rail services 2. Summary: Environment Waikato have surveyed their residents and concluded that there is significant support for a subsidised Hamilton - Auckland rail passenger service. However due to Auckland Transport needing to manage 15% annual patronage growth it is committed to implementing the mature diesel timetable with the associated additional services and increased service frequencies, continuation of the Onehunga - Britomart service frequency and the introduction of Manukau services, there is no operational and berthing capacity available at either Britomart or Newmarket stations during morning and afternoon peak periods for Hamilton services. To provide the services with arrivals and departures at the times required by commuters from the Waikato there are only three workable options that do not negative impact on existing and planned Auckland Transport services: 2.1 Hamilton Auckland Service operated by the Silver Fern Railcar or dedicated carriage train: 2.1.1 Operating between Hamilton and Papakura with passenger transferring to MAXX services at Papakura 2.1.2 Operating between Hamilton and Auckland Strand Station with passenger transferring to a dedicated bus services to the required CBD destinations The Silver Fern Railcar service (as proposed by KiwiRail) or suitable KiwiRail operated, loco hauled carriage train, subject to track access, could be scheduled to connect with any MAXX service that originates from Pukekohe or Papakura or can terminate at The Strand with bus connection to the CBD (1.5km). These options require the least initial capital investment and can be either upgraded as justified by patronage or terminated with minimum financial loss if unsuccessful. 2.2 Extension of limited MAXX services to Hamilton: This option will provide direct access to Britomart Station. Any train set that is stabled at Pukekohe or Papakura subject to track access, can be scheduled to start its first morning service from Hamilton and extend the last evening service to Hamilton. A train set would run empty to Hamilton, to commence the first morning service and similarly in the evening the last service for a train set can be extended to Hamilton and run empty back to either Pukekohe or Papakura for stabling. Extending MAXX services to Hamilton requires additional rolling stock to accommodate the initial increased patronage and any future growth and suitable length, standard height platforms at all station used by passengers. (See Appendix 1 for MAXX Timetable Options and Rolling Sock Requirements). To operate 6-car services with dedicated Hamilton commuter cars station platforms need to be 155m minimum length and 750mm height above track. Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 4

2.3 Tuakau Auckland Services: Tuakau has a population of 3,504 (2006) and a station site located 7.5km south of Pukekohe Station. It is relatively easy to change the existing MAXX operating schedule to extend any Pukekohe service to Tuakau. The old Tuakau Station has an island platform, before it can be used for MAXX services it requires upgrading to accommodate the termination of 6-car MAXX trains: platforms (length-155m, height-750mm) suitable pedestrian access rail network modifications to allow trains to cross from the down to the up main lines and to stop and reverse direction. Until a cross-over is installed at Tuakau trains need to run to Mercer to cross from the down main to the up main. This requires each service to run empty for an additional 25.4km. As there are no platforms at Mercer no passengers are able to board or disembark services. Extending MAXX services to Tuakau will also require additional rolling stock to accommodate the increase in patronage. 3. Options investigated: 3.1 Hamilton Papakura service using Silver Fern Railcars or carriage train 3.2 Hamilton Auckland (Strand Station) service using Silver Fern Railcars or carriage train 3.3 Extending a limited number of MAXX services to Hamilton 3.4 Extending MAXX Pukekohe services to Tuakau a) Terminating MAXX services at Tuakau b) Terminating MAXX services at Mercer 4. Conclusions and Recommendations: 4.1 Hamilton Papakura service using Silver Fern Railcar or carriage train with passengers transferring to MAXX services. It can be easily implemented with the minimum capital investment and requires no additional rolling stock: offers the widest choice of arrival and departure times and permits several services to be operated each day. provides access to all Auckland rail stations including Britomart and Newmarket via the transfer services can stop at stations with 2-car length platforms and therefore requires the least additional infrastructure initially could stop at stations with existing platforms and additional stops could be incrementally added to the timetable as suitable platforms are installed can be operated as an interim service and when justified by patronage either upgraded or if unsuccessful terminated with minimum financial loss. can be migrated to a MAXX service when suitable station platforms are available at all required passenger stops Papakura Station is presently being redesigned and upgraded to accommodate seamless transfers to EMU services from diesel services operating south of the Auckland electrified area. It is recognised that transfer of services is not the preferred customer choice by Waikato Councils. 4.2 Hamilton Auckland (Strand Station) service using Silver Fern Railcars or carriage train is alternative interim solution that provides a direct service to central Auckland. This option has the advantages detailed in 4.1. The Strand Station is presently being upgraded for emergency use if for any reason Britomart Station is closed. It is also a development vision that it will be the future purpose built Auckland InterCity terminal station. It is recognised that transfer of services is not the preferred customer choice by Waikato Councils. Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 5

4.3 Extending a limited number of MAXX services to Hamilton will provide direct access to Britomart and is therefore recommended as the preferred solution, to be implemented once all required passenger stops have suitable length standard height platforms and the required additional toilet cars are available. However there are only limited timetable options as only MAXX train sets stabled at Pukekohe or Papakura, subject to track access, can be scheduled to start the first morning service from Hamilton and extend the last evening service to Hamilton (see Appendix 1 for MAXX Timetable Options and Rolling Sock Requirements). 4.4 Extending MAXX Pukekohe services to Tuakau is recommended if Environment Waikato decided not to proceed with the Hamilton Auckland services. It is relatively easy to change the existing MAXX operation and extend any of the existing Pukekohe services to Tuakau as the services have sufficient layover at Pukekohe to allow them to be extended to Tuakau. There is presently no cross-over at Tuakau, the nearest place were MAXX trains can cross from the down main to the up main lines and return to Auckland is Mercer. This requires an additional 25.4km empty running per service other than the first service of the day, there is insufficient time in the MAXX timetable to accommodate this requirement without altering timetable. 5. Next Steps: 5.1 Environment Waikato to select the required service option Once Environment Waikato have selected their preferred service option and have identified the actual stops they require. KiwiRail in association with Auckland Transport and Veolia Transport will develop the operating schedule, a detailed timetable and associated operating costs. Environment Waikato will need to arrange with KiwiRail, upgrading of construction of appropriate platforms etc at all stations were the service is required stop and board or disembark passenger. 6. Outstanding Issues: The Auckland Transport rail passenger services are operated by Veolia Transport whose network access rights only extend to Pukekohe. Any extension of MAXX services south of Pukekohe would require a variation to Veolia s network access rights and their rail safety license. It will require Veolia staff to be trained to operate trains in this section of the rail network. This will be arranged on confirmation of Environment Waikato requirements for rail service. Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 6

APPENDIX 1 Timetable Options and Rolling Stock Requirements 1. Extension of MAXX services to Hamilton - Timetable Options: The services that arrive in Britomart and Hamilton closest to times requested are: Morning Services: Est. Depart Hamilton Depart Pukekohe Arrive Britomart 04:55 06:05 via Newmarket 07:14 05:08 06:18 via Glen Innes 07:18 05:49 06:54 via Glen Innes 08:02 05:58 07:03 * via Newmarket 08:06 NB: The 07:03am service is presently operating with maximum loadings, it therefore cannot be extended to Hamilton. Evening Services: Depart Britomart Arrive Pukekohe Est. Arrival Hamilton 5:50 via Glen Innes 6:47 7:52 6:12 via Glen Innes 7:18 8:23 7:12 via Newmarket 8:18 9:23 2. Rolling Stock Requirements: The additional capacity needed for the number of passenger indicated by the EW survey will require two additional cars. They will need to be either operated independently or added to a MAXX train set, a third car is also needed for maintenance requirements. As the journey duration exceeds two hours these cars will require mobility toilet facilities. It should be noted that: None of the vehicles in the MAXX fleet have toilet facilities Due to the 15% annual rail patronage growth Auckland Transport have no spare cars available A minimum of three BR MKII cars will need to be procured and rebuilt as SH cars (S-Hamilton car with a mobility toilet). If additional services are required an additional train set including a locomotive and crew will be need and due to the lack of berthing capacity at Britomart Station any additional peak services can only operate to The Strand Station or as transfer services to Papakura. Some additional interpeak and off-peak arrivals and departures can be accommodated at Britomart Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 7

APPENDIX 2 Estimated Capex and Opex Requirements A2 Estimated Capex Costs for Civil/Network Works and Rolling Stock: A2.1 Hamilton Papakura service using Silver Fern Railcars or carriage train. A2.2 Hamilton Auckland (Strand Station) service using Silver Fern Railcars or carriage train. Both these options require suitable 2-car platforms, pedestrian access and facilities at all stops, KiwiRail will need to specify and cost requirements. The estimated minimum cost of a single sided, standard height 2-car platform, (based on Huapai) - $500,000.00 A2.3 Extending a limited number of MAXX services to Hamilton Suitable 6-car platforms, pedestrian access and facilities are needed at all stops. Estimated cost per station excluding footbridge - $2,000,000.00 Cost estimate supplied by AT Rail Projects Group, based on similar Auckland station projects. NB: No track alterations needed at Tuakau if Hamilton services are implemented. A2.4 Extending MAXX Pukekohe services to Tuakau: A2.4.1 Terminating MAXX services at Tuakau Platform and common element facilities Estimated Cost - $2,000,000.00 Realignment of track, provision of points and crossing and associated signalling to permit termination of trains (budget estimate based on similar Auckland works, KiwiRail will need to survey site and provide detailed costing). Estimated Cost - $1,500,000.00 Assuming the pedestrian access is via road level crossing (no footbridge) Estimated Cost - $100,000.00 Estimated Total Capex - $3,600,000.00 A2.4.2 Terminating Services at Mercer: The follow cost estimates are based on similar Auckland common element station projects and assume no footbridges Estimated Total Capex: Tuakau Station - $2,000,000.00 Mercer Station - $4,000,000.00 Total - $6,000,000.00 The estimated capital cost without provision of passenger facilities at Mercer is: Total - $3,500.000.00 A2.5 Additional Rolling Stock: To accommodate the projected patronage from the Waikato stations the extension of MAXX services will initially require 3 additional carriages. These are presently available in an unrefurbished condition in New Zealand. The estimated lead time for refurbishing them is 24 weeks from date of purchase and delivery to KiwiRail Engineering. Purchase price - $120,000.00/car Refurbish cost - $1,700,000.00 /car Estimated Total Capex - $5,570,000.00 A5.6 Estimated Operating costs: Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 8

Based on the cost structure developed for the Helensville services the estimate annual cost of extending MAXX services to Tuakau, subject to agreement with KiwiRail on access charges and finalising of operation costs by Veolia Transport is: 6.1 Terminating at Hamilton - $1,100,000.00 6.2 Terminating at Tuakau - $150,000.00 6.3 Terminating at Mercer - $310,000.00. Note; a detailed costing will need to be completed by Veolia Transport and/or KiwiRail when resources become available after completion of planning for the Rugby World Cup Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 9

APPENDIX 3 Review and Re-evaluation of Option 3 (requested by the RWG) A3.1 Option 3 - Coupling a Silver Fern Railcar to a MAXX Service: As previously stated this option was not considered to be operationally feasible however at the request of the Rail Working Group it has been reviewed and re-evaluated. The review and re-evaluation conducted by Auckland Transport with input from Veolia Transport and KiwiRail operations management concluded that: A3.1.1 A3.1.2 A3.1.3 The uncoupling of the railcar from the MAXX train consist and its associated relocation to a stabling area constitutes an additional train movement and due to the congestion at Britomart Station during the morning peak it cannot be accommodated. To carry out this operation would therefore require an operational time slot presently used by a MAXX timetabled service. There are serious Health and Safety issues relating to coupling a railcar carrying passengers to a MAXX train set while passenger are boarding. This is considered to be an unnecessary high risk operation that has the potential to cause serious harm and therefore it cannot be recommended. There is also very limited availability of suitable locomotives that have sufficient motive power to haul a train consisting of a Silver Fern Railcar and 6- MAXX SA/SD carriages and maintain the required timetable. It is unlikely that KiwiRail would guarantee that a suitable locomotive would be available for the proposed services as they are required for their commercial freight business. A3.1.4 A3.1.5 Due to the configuration of the doors, the railcar would need to be locked-off at intermediate stations between Papakura and Britomart otherwise passengers may attempt to board and alight which will lead to extended station dwell times. Note: To ensure that sufficient time is provided for passengers to safely board/ alight, a typical dwell time allowance for a railcar is 2 minutes. The station dwell time allowance for an Auckland MAXX service is 30 seconds. There are 14 intermediate stations between Papakura and Britomart, a service that includes a railcar, which is required to stop at all stations will require up to 21 minutes additional journey time. It is also unlikely that a safety case would receive the appropriate approval for the railcar to be attached to a MAXX train without provision for boarding/ alighting at all stations the MAXX train stops at. Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 1: Auckland Transport Report] Page 10

Attachment 2: Letter from Auckland Council Transport Chair, Mike Lee Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 2: Letter from Auckland Council Transport Chair, Mike Lee] Page 11

Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 2: Letter from Auckland Council Transport Chair, Mike Lee] Page 12

Doc # 1967013 [Attachment 2: Letter from Auckland Council Transport Chair, Mike Lee] Page 13