Ministry of Transport and Communications (Lithuania)

• But at the heart of the debate lies an inconvenient truth about climate change: encouraging road transport while needing to reduce carbon emissions simply does not add up.
• In the background sits the government’s Rail Plan, which sets out the “vision and priorities for rail over the next decade and beyond”.
• But given the clear need for New Zealand’s transport policies to change, the planned improvements need to be on a fast track.

Light rail right next door

• The government’s transport plans for Auckland do include light rail, but National has promised to scrap the scheme if elected.
• Looking across the Tasman, however, there is good evidence that light rail should not be this contentious.
• This is all part of a remarkable renaissance of light rail around the world.

The freight factor

• While road freight grew steadily in the first two decades of this century, rail freight in 2021-2022 was the same as it was in 1999-2000.
• But for many freight movements, using trucks rather than rail increases emissions by a factor of three.
• If reducing freight emissions is the goal, shifting some from road to rail is a logical solution.

When’s the next train?

• Clearly, roads need to be maintained, and New Zealand’s road network has to be made more resilient to adverse weather impacts.
• But expanding road capacity at the expense of a more efficient rail system and improved public transport is a recipe for increasing emissions.
• While road congestion in major cities is a problem, overseas experience tells us that more road capacity only increases vehicle use.