Labour’s grand plan to have a commuter line between Hamilton to Auckland is racking up huge costs at the taxpayer’s expense, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

Latest figures on the use of the train show passengers dropping to an average of 30 people per trip. With the train costing $25,932 per day to operate and revenue only at $1559, it is costing taxpayers more than $24,000 for every day the train runs.

“The Government claimed that it would take time for the number of people using the train to increase. Well time has passed and passenger numbers are only dropping.

“This is because it is simply not a service people can use. It doesn’t run at the right time, it doesn’t run at the right speed, and it doesn’t arrive at the right place.

“It is a huge waste of taxpayer money.

“It is quicker and more convenient for Kiwis to jump in their cars and drive, and that is what they are doing.

“This train is a clear example of how wasteful Labour is. It’s spending $785 million on a cycle bridge most people don’t want, it’s handed out $2.75 million to the Mongrel Mob and it’s paid $8 million for a motel to house the homeless.

“The Government shouldn’t be spending tens of thousands of dollars a day on a dumb idea.”