Rail service push on a roll, says MP

The public is getting on board a push by Palmerston North's MP to ensure the city doesn't have its rail link to Wellington axed.

More than 100 people have signed up to Iain LeesGalloway's "Save the Capital Connection" Facebook page as it comes under threat from Wellington's expanding metro services.

Uncertainty surrounds the future of the Capital Connection service because upgrading the link between Wellington and Waikanae could result in passengers using the metro services instead.

A decision on its future is at least a year away, but Mr Lees-Galloway said he wanted to highlight the issue now to give people plenty of time to come up with ideas.

He set up the Facebook group on Thursday and by last night 120 people had joined.

Mr Lees-Galloway said a commuter service to the capital was necessary for Palmerston North. He said he was surprised by the strength of public feedback.

A poll on the Manawatu Standard's website suggested there was solid support for keeping the service. More than 70 per cent of readers who voted on the issue said they didn't use the service, but it was important to the city. Just over 20 per cent were regulars who would be "gutted" if the service stopped and 6.5 per cent thought the city could live without it.

Manawatu Chamber of Commerce chairman and Palmerston North businessman Brynn Neilson said he signed up to the Facebook group because it was important to preserve transport links.

Public transport needed to be supported, he said, and Palmerston North had already lost international flights from its airport.

"We seem to be losing modes of transport. The only way to Napier, if you're not driving, is to take the bus."

Mr Neilson said he used the Capital Connection a few times a year.

Vision Manawatu Student City co-ordinator Hannah Pratt, who has also joined the group, said the Capital Connection service was well used.

"It's important to maintain any form of transport into Palmerston North," she said.

In the past six months, she had made about five trips to Wellington and she preferred to use the train if she could.

On the Facebook discussion board, Rebecca O'Brien wrote that people used the Capital Connection to visit Wellington for the day to get to events and the shops.

"It's extremely popular, particularly for people who work in Wellington and live up the line, or who do frequent business trips down there."

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