The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is alarmed at growing complaints from train users that Auckland’s trains are being vandalised by gangs of taggers who are getting away scot free.

“The vandalism is blatant and taking place in front of passengers and rail staff” says PTUA’s National Co-ordinator Jon Reeves. He added “Our organisation is furious that AT and it's contractor, the Australian-Singapore owned 'One Rail' which is reportedly paid $130m a year, are pretending not to notice.

Niall Robertson, PTUA Chair said “We are fielding regular complaints from passengers worried about the poor look of Auckland Transports commuter trains. Everyone has noticed the mess isn’t being cleaned promptly. Some passengers say it’s a major turn off to using AT trains as the graffiti makes them feel unsafe to use public transport.”

The PTUA says this is not the image AT should be conveying to passengers and we believe cost cutting or more poor management by AT and its foreign owned rail contractor, Auckland One Rail (AOR) is to blame. “Passengers do not want to catch trains covered top to bottom with ugly graffiti” Robertson added.

The state of AT’s trains is exactly the opposite to the rosy picture the organisations Interim CEO, Mark Lambert, said in their press release last Friday which mentioned “he’s proud of how AT negotiated the challenges of the year while providing the best services possible for Aucklanders”. Jon Reeves, PTUA National Coordinator said “Lambert clearly has no idea that AT is running trains which resemble the ugly, graffiti covered subway trains of New York in the 1980’s.

The PTUA urges the new Mayor of Auckland to demand a meeting with Mark Lambert immediately after the election and order him to either sort the mess out, or make way for someone who can get the trains to look clean and respectable. “We’ll offer our help to guide the new Mayor on how to deal with senior management and the foreign owned rail operator to ensure rail passengers get quality rail services we pay for through our rates and taxes.” Reeves added.

Under Lambert we’ve seen patronage collapse on Onehunga to Britomart trains after AT cut services back to Newmarket, buses constantly cancelled throughout the city leaving passengers stuck, a call centre that closes before the last services end late at night – again leaving people stuck when buses don’t arrive, tagging across the rail network not being cleaned up, and an organisation more interested in renaming train stations than actually just delivering public transport. Any wonder why patronage is decreasing?

Auckland deserves safe, clean and well maintained commuter trains. Sadly, AT senior management and One Rail have let Auckland rail passengers down, yet again. We need to fix it now.

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