Passenger Transport Committee 06 May 2014

Report No. 14-73 Information Only - No Decision Required

CAPITAL CONNECTION UPDATE

1. PURPOSE 1.1. To update the Committee on Capital Connection patronage and marketing efforts.

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.1. This report gives an update on what is happening with the Capital Connection commuter rail service since March 2013 when KiwiRail announced it would continue operating the service until June 2015.

3. RECOMMENDATION That the Committee recommends that Council: a. receives the information contained in Report No. 14-73.

4. FINANCIAL IMPACT 4.1. There is no financial impact.

5. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 5.1. No community engagement as a result of this report

6. BACKGROUND 6.1. The Capital Connection commuter rail service is currently run commercially by KiwiRail. However due to the extension of Greater Regional Council’s services to , the service has suffered significant losses in patronage which has made the service currently uncommercial to operate. 6.2. In 2012, Greater Wellington and Horizons prepared a business case for funding the service, which assumed a subsidy from the Transport Agency. 6.3. Before a decision on the business case was made, in March 2013, KiwiRail announced that they would continue running the Capital Connection service for two full years unless annual operating losses amounted to more than one million dollars.

7. MARKETING 7.1. Since the announcement by KiwiRail that they would continue running the service, a group of officers representing the , , Horowhenua and Manawatu territorial authorities, Horizons Regional Council, Destination Manawatu and KiwiRail have met regularly to discuss targeted marketing efforts to increase patronage on the service. 7.2. To date, targeted marketing has been undertaken targeting senior groups, school groups and business groups. In particular the iSite in Palmerston North can now charge back ten-trip tickets to businesses which has made a significant positive difference in the amount of ten-trip tickets sold through this retailer. 7.3. Feedback, also suggests that school groups are now using the service more regularly.

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Passenger Transport Committee 06 May 2014 7.4. The officers group will continue to meet regularly to refine its marketing efforts.

8. PATRONAGE 8.1. When KiwiRail announced that the service would continue operating until June 2015, it determined it would have to raise average ticket prices by 40% and daily patronage would have to increase by 61 passengers in each direction. 8.2. For the seven months July 2013-January 2014, patronage was 79,867. For the corresponding time period, July 2012-January 2013, patronage was 84,683. This equates to a 6% loss in patronage over this time period. 8.3. Overall patronage for the 2012-13 financial year was 145,590. This is down from the 2011-12 financial year patronage total of 158,972. This was a 9% loss in patronage. 8.4. Therefore patronage decline has levelled out over the past 18 months, which could reflect some of the marketing efforts undertaken by the officers group, as well as some passengers who previously took the Tranz Metro services from Waikanae switching back to the Capital Connection after the initial honeymoon period. It is however still down on where KiwiRail wants it to be. 8.5. Officers will give a more detailed patronage analysis verbally at the meeting of where patronage is increasing/decreasing. 8.6. KiwiRail have however increased fares twice in the past 12 months. These were essentially 10% fare increases at each rise. These have only been from stops north of Otaki as the service is competing with the Tranz Metro services at and Waikanae, and fares need to be competitive with Tranz Metro’s fares from those stops. 8.7. KiwiRail advise officers that revenue has increased because of these fare increases and that average passenger yield has also increased but not to the point where the service is currently sustainable.

9. NEXT STEPS

9.1 Committee members should be aware that Horizons may be asked to financially subsidise the service from June 2015 if KiwiRail decide that it does not wish to continue operating the service commercially. This would mean that Horizons will need to consider whether to subsidise the service in the next Long Term Plan 2015-18.

10. SIGNIFICANCE 10.1. This is not a significant decision according to the Council’s Policy on Significance.

Wayne Wallace Ged Shirley TRANSPORT PLANNER GROUP MANAGER REGIONAL SERVICES & INFORMATION

ANNEXES There are no attachments for this report.

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