Budget 2026 has allocated $106.9 million for renewals on Wellington and Auckland's metro rail networks in the 2028-29 financial year, as part of a $1.075 billion rail package that includes three years of funding for KiwiRail's national network.
Greater Wellington Regional Council Transport Committee chair Ros Connelly said she was delighted the capital city's rail services would get a cash injection, but said the funding would not be able to entirely solve the build-up of maintenance and renewals, which triggered signal breakdowns and train cancellations on the network. "The problems are bigger than what can be solved in one year," Connelly said. "So overall, after we see consistent years' funding, we will see an improvement in the network."
The numbers of Wellingtonians using trains has been slumping over the past several years, attributed in part to passenger dissatisfaction over late or cancelled trains. Connelly said "we need a plan to get the network up to a steady state, and that requires KiwiRail being given long-term sustainable funding so they can plan and properly deliver a longer term programme of works on the network."
Waitākere councillor Shane Henderson, deputy chairperson of the Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee, said the funding was good news for Auckland. "I'm really happy to see that we've got some renewals funding in the Budget for Auckland's metro rail, because we've had decades of under-funding in Auckland, and we've really seen the consequence of that in this city with years of disruption and inconsistent timetables."
KiwiRail said the exact split of the $106.9 million between Auckland and Wellington, as well as details on the proposed work, would be shared with ministers later in the year. Connelly said she hoped the funding would be split 50/50, adding "people in Auckland might be hoping for more than that but they have seen a big investment in the City Rail Link, so hopefully they'll take pity on us and throw a bit of money our way."
KiwiRail said work would be carried out overnight and at less popular times to minimise disruption on passengers.
KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy said "the ongoing track, bridge, and other improvements in the metros are important to maintaining more frequent trains in Auckland when City Rail Link opens later this year and supporting Wellington's aspirations to run more frequent trains in the future."