Waikato\u2019s Te Huia train service has been invited to get on board a $1 billion rail project in the nation\u2019s capital – with details on an \u201cemerging preferred option\u201d on the future of Waikato rail services just two weeks away.<\/p>\n
[]()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.<\/p>\n
That potential expense could be mitigated through an offer to \u201cpiggy back\u2019\u2019 on an ongoing international trade deal with Greater Wellington and Horizons regional councils\u2019 Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) programme.<\/p>\n
The programme has already agreed to pay $800m to an Indian manufacturer for 18 five-car battery-electric trains, named T\u016bhono, for its Manawat\u016b and Wairarapa services, as part of a $1 billion overall project, including track enhancements.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a potential means to fast track the procurement of trains,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Ponter said he presented the option to Waikato Regional Council and Auckland Council a few months ago to make them aware of the opportunity.<\/p>\n
Ponter points out WRC will have to pay for its trains should it choose to accept the offer.<\/p>\n
The more important benefit could be the time saved, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuying trains is not like going down to the Ford dealer and picking out the colour that you like in your Ford Ranger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese things are bespoke, they\u2019re built for particular environments.\u201d<\/p>\n
The precise costs would have to be negotiated directly between WRC and the supplier.<\/p>\n
[]()Responding to the *Waikato Times* a WRC spokesperson confirmed that a rolling stock Single Stage Business Case is being proposed in the council\u2019s Long Term Plan, work on which will start in 2027 subject to gaining funding in the LTP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat 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.\u2019\u2019 \\
\n \\
\nThe spokesperson added that the Te Huia SSBC is assessing \u201cthe most beneficial investment in number of services\u2019\u2019 including times of services, key stations and the necessary track and line improvements to support the continued safe \u201dand, if appropriate,\u201d faster running of the Te Huia passenger rail services, at the best price.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn 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.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor once in our lives, we would start to be procuring the same types of trains around the country.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
An invitation to join the order still required a decision about affordability.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really need to have to think as a local authority whether you can actually afford to go down this route,\u2019\u2019 Ponter says.<\/p>\n
Published in [Waikato Times 13 October 2026](https:\/\/www.waikatotimes.co.nz\/nz-news\/361096869\/waikato-eyes-wellington-invitation-te-huia-carriages)<\/p>\n
For further information concerning the points raised in this article:<\/p>\n
\\-\ufeff [Golden Triangle Passenger Rail Initiative](https:\/\/www.publictransportforum.nz\/articles\/article\/golden-triangle-passenger-rail-iniative-08-10-2026\/) \\
\n-\ufeff [Time for a national public transport network](https:\/\/www.publictransportforum.nz\/articles\/article\/national-public-transport-network-07-06-2022) \\
\n-\ufeff [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\/)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Waikato\u2019s Te Huia train service has been invited to get on board a $1 billion rail project in the nation\u2019s capital – with details on an \u201cemerging preferred opti<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-593648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t