By David Burroughs, International Railway Journal; June 30, 2018
THE New Zealand government has signalled its intention to increase investment in rail projects and reduce highway spending in its 10-year government policy statement (GPS) on land transport released on June 28, the first published by the new Labour-led government.
While the government says the new plan is mode-neutral, it features a reduction in state highway improvements and the creation of two new funding classes covering rapid transit and transitional rail, which covers the funding of rail until the release of the second stage GPS, due next year, which will further consider the role and funding of rail and will be informed by the future of a rail study which is currently underway.