N\ufeffew Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) have extended the Te Huia passenger rail service between Hamilton and Auckland for another 12 months. \\
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\nThe trial was meant to finish by the end of June but NZTA on Thursday agreed to support a 12-month extension of the rail service.<\/p>\n
Waikato Regional Council wrote to [the board](https:\/\/www.waikatotimes.co.nz\/nz-news\/360919671\/te-huias-future-now-hands-nzta) in December last year, pushing for an extension until the end of June 2027.<\/p>\n
Council said their support was conditional on NZTA agreeing to maintain the 60% subsidy for a further year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would enable patronage to recover and test the impact of benefits accruing from opening of the City Rail Link later in 2026 as well as continued implementation of a series of measures to increase both passenger numbers and revenue,\u201d council said in a statement.<\/p>\n
NZTA\u2019s all-clear on the extension means regional councillors will be asked to support continued local funding at the current rate next week.<\/p>\n
The future of Te Huia will be decided in the 2027-2037 Long Term Plan process, next year.<\/p>\n
Waikato Regional Council chair Warren Maher thanked the board for considering their request and \u201cgiving councillors time to consider the next steps\u201d.<\/p>\n
A pro-Te Huia rally earlier this month, drew hundreds of supporters – including Hamilton\u2019s three MPs – wanting to retain the passenger service and even extend it to Tauranga. \\
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\nPublished in the\u00a0[Waikato Times on 19 February 2026](https:\/\/www.waikatotimes.co.nz\/nz-news\/360953172\/te-huia-train-service-gets-12-month-extension) \\
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\nFor further reading concerning the points raised in this opinion –<\/p>\n
* [Future of passenger rail in New Zealand is regional rail](https:\/\/publictransportforum.nz\/articles\/article\/the-future-of-passenger-rail-in-new-zealand-is-regional-rail-07-07-2025\/)
\n* [Time for a national public transport network](https:\/\/www.publictransportforum.nz\/articles\/article\/national-public-transport-network-07-06-2022)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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