Waikato’s Te Huia train service has been invited to get on board a $1 billion rail project in the nation’s capital – with details on an “emerging preferred option” on the future of Waikato rail services just two weeks away.
[]()The Te Huia Hamilton to Auckland commuter [trial service finishes in June next year](https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/361095172/te-huia-popularity-rises-business-case-track-greens-ready-fund-permanent-route) and if Waikato Regional Council decide to make the service permanent it will need to invest in new rolling stock (rail cars), as the ones in use hit their end-of-life in 2030.
That potential expense could be mitigated through an offer to “piggy back’’ on an ongoing international trade deal with Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils’ Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) programme.
The programme has already agreed to pay $800m to an Indian manufacturer for 18 five-car battery-electric trains, named Tūhono, for its Manawatū and Wairarapa services, as part of a $1 billion overall project, including track enhancements.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter says Waikato had been offered the opportunity to buy similar trains through extending the Wellington order without starting a separate purchasing process.
“It’s a potential means to fast track the procurement of trains,” he says.
Ponter said he presented the option to Waikato Regional Council and Auckland Council a few months ago to make them aware of the opportunity.
Ponter points out WRC will have to pay for its trains should it choose to accept the offer.
The more important benefit could be the time saved, he said.
“Buying trains is not like going down to the Ford dealer and picking out the colour that you like in your Ford Ranger.
“These things are bespoke, they’re built for particular environments.”
The precise costs would have to be negotiated directly between WRC and the supplier.
[]()Responding to the *Waikato Times* a WRC spokesperson confirmed that a rolling stock Single Stage Business Case is being proposed in the council’s Long Term Plan, work on which will start in 2027 subject to gaining funding in the LTP.
“That work will assess the merit of working in with the Greater Wellington Regional Council rolling stock purchase against other options for procuring Te Huia rolling stock.’’ \
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The spokesperson added that the Te Huia SSBC is assessing “the most beneficial investment in number of services’’ including times of services, key stations and the necessary track and line improvements to support the continued safe ”and, if appropriate,” faster running of the Te Huia passenger rail services, at the best price.
“The SSBC will identify the service pattern (running times, potential stations and frequency of service) for Te Huia if it is to operate as a successful interregional passenger rail service into the future.
“While this future service pattern is dependent on the number of trains included in the Te Huia rail service, the best means to secure the appropriate type and number of trains to run future Te Huia services will have to be determined separately, after the decisions by all parties to first invest in future services.
“An update report on the emerging preferred option for future Te Huia rail services will be presented to the WRC Transport Committee at its meeting on October 27.’’
Ponter says while his first aim is to set up the Wellington network, if Waikato and Auckland and potentially Canterbury also joined the agreement, it could set a national standard for the procurement of trains.
“For once in our lives, we would start to be procuring the same types of trains around the country.’’
There is a deadline for taking up the option but Ponter says it is still a few years away, with the first prototype arriving in late 2028 or early 2029, followed by about nine months of testing in New Zealand.
An invitation to join the order still required a decision about affordability.
“You really need to have to think as a local authority whether you can actually afford to go down this route,’’ Ponter says.
Published in [Waikato Times 13 October 2026](https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/361096869/waikato-eyes-wellington-invitation-te-huia-carriages)
For further information concerning the points raised in this article:
\- [Golden Triangle Passenger Rail Initiative](https://www.publictransportforum.nz/articles/article/golden-triangle-passenger-rail-iniative-08-10-2026/) \
- [Time for a national public transport network](https://www.publictransportforum.nz/articles/article/national-public-transport-network-07-06-2022) \
- [National Regional Passenger Rail Network](https://www.publictransportforum.nz/articles/article/the-future-of-passenger-rail-in-new-zealand-is-regional-rail-07-07-2025/)
