Winter train use in Auckland up 30 per cent

More trains are on their way to Auckland as the city's rail network tries to cope with an increase in use of nearly a third.

Train patronage in winter is up 30 per cent as Aucklanders have tried to avoid increased petrol bills and congested roads, the New Zealand Herald reported today.

The increase has been sufficiently dramatic to cause further delays and a lack of room for passengers, making ticket collection difficult.

Auckland Regional Transport Authority chief Fergus Gammie said efforts were being made to add more capacity to the system.

"While we acknowledge some trains are crowded at peak times, help is in sight, with two more trains arriving in September and October this year, and six additional trains already on order will be delivered next year," he told the New Zealand Herald.

Mr Gammie said train use had trebled since Britomart station opened in 2003 and the extra boom due to petrol prices had surprised planners.

"We are literally running to make up for lost time – while we welcome the increase in patronage and had planned for growth, the additional demand we are now seeing due to petrol price increases has meant some operational challenges for us and our (rail) operator, Veolia."

Bus use was also up, by 3 per cent in the past 12 months, and there was huge demand for buses from North Shore, where passenger numbers were up 53.1 per cent, largely due to the opening of the new $290 million busway.

- NZPA