Thank you again for all your help. We are now just a short train trip away from 1000 signatures!

Just a few figures for you to think about:

• We have a $473m stadium that’s forecast to lose money
• We will be spending more than $240m on a ‘bold plan’ to move gridlock from the northern motorway to Cranford St
• And finally, in total an astonishing $900m on roads of national significance projects (three routes) in Christchurch

This is in contrast to The $8.2m cost suggested in a 2014 report commissioned by Environment Canterbury (ECan) that considered a bare basic commuter rail service using the existing railway line from Rangiora to Addington. The vast majority of this ($7.5 million) was the rolling stock (trains), but it is understood the carriages are now valued at a considerably lower price. The report concluded that a bare bones commuter service was technically feasible, relatively cheap at $8.2m, and would most likely attract the 500 daily passengers it needs to be financially viable. So what happened? We need to convince the decision makers at City Council and Regional Council to take up rail as an election promise in our local elections in October. That gives us, the public, 5 months to discuss, share and contribute to our Rail Network Plan before the election.

Share, Retweet, email and message this so more people hear about our campaign and leave a comment if you have ideas for how we can convince decision makers to Start Planning Now.