RE-OPEN THE GRACEFIELD RAIL LINE: PETITION

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently seeking feedback on their Draft Hutt Corridor Transport Plan. When it's finalised in September, the Hutt Corridor Plan will influence decisions on transport projects in the Hutt Valley worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

VAN - Valley Action Network has made a written submission, which Michelle Ducat will expand on in an oral presentation in Lower Hutt on Tuesday, 2 August.

In addition, we are backing an individual submission from Petone resident Norman Wilkins. In support of his submission, Norman is seeking signatures on a petition to re-open the Gracefield rail line.

He has already delivered the following message to letterboxes along the Petone Esplanade:

"To the residents of this Petone Esplanade property

I am asking you to please support a submission to reopen the Gracefield rail line.

I live near the Petone Esplanade and drive people to Wellington Hospital for treatment so I know that there is simply too much traffic on Petone Esplanade and SH2.

According to CentrePort’s research there are approximately 3000 trucks a day using the Esplanade which is about 10% of the traffic, so that means about 30 000 vehicles on that road each day. Those trucks carry about 2.5m tonnes of freight such as logs and scrap metal a year.

My submission asks the Greater Wellington Regional Council in its Hutt Corridor Plan to ask KiwiRail and Metlink to investigate the practicality of:
1. Re-instating the Gracefield to Woburn rail link for freight transport to and from Wellington’s CentrePort.
2. Building a station where the line crosses Seaview Road and putting in car park spaces to enable commuter traffic from Eastbourne to use rail from there into the city.

In presenting this submission I have the support of CentrePort for the use of the rail for freight movement. I have the support of the Petone Community Board, the Rail and Maritime Workers Union and am seeking further backing.

I would also like your support by signing a petition that I can present to the Council on Aug 2nd.
If you are prepared to do this please phone me at 9701010 to make an appointment for me to come to your house for you to sign."

Can you help gather more signatures on this petition?

Print off the petition form and take it around your family/friends/neighbours/networks, or join me in door-knocking this coming Sunday to take the petition to the residents of the Esplanade, who've been badly affected by heavy traffic since the closure of the rail line in 2002.

Time is short. Petition forms need to be returned by next Monday (1 August) so they can be tabled at the oral submissions on Tuesday.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Grant Brookes
VAN - Valley Action Network
www.huttvan.org.nz

[Go to the website for petition details: Ed]