The Green Party is setting a target to get half of New Zealand’s freight moving by rail and sea within 10 years, which will dramatically reduce the number of dangerous trucks clogging up New Zealand’s roads.
Instead of demanding that rail return a profit, which has set rail up to fail, we’ll fund it from the transport budget in the same way roads are, providing the investment needed to move freight in the most effective and clean way.
Every year, an average of 55 people are killed in crashes involving trucks, and over 850 are seriously injured. We know that a single train can remove 70 heavy trucks from the road.
We will electrify rail between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga to move freight safely off the road, and create a zero emissions freight service between those centres – the “Golden Triangle”.
National’s obsession with diesel, and prejudice against rail and shipping, is forcing more and more trucks onto New Zealand roads. In just 10 years we can expect to see another 1.7 million truck trips on our roads, making roads dangerous for all of us, and driving up pollution.
By investing in rail and shipping, we can make roads safer, the air cleaner and create a safer climate for future generations.
Our Confidence and Supply Agreement includes a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by substantially increasing investment in sea freight, alongside other transport initiatives.
