OPINION: Inter-city rail brings Aotearoa together

Words by Alex Marinkovich-Josey (he/him)

We need to make inter-city rail sexy.

The fight for action on the climate crisis is missing a crucial campaigning opportunity to get more people interested in transportation policy, while taking our environment into account: romantisicing our lives through inter-city rail.

Everyone’s dreamed about a rail trip through Europe—travelling between countries, relaxing on trains that speed through gorgeous landscapes, not having to worry about the hassles of flying or the cost of buying gas. It’s a mode of transportation that allows us to relinquish control, but also allows us to be grounded in the places we travel through, relaxing and admiring the scenery. 

I’ve always been a fan of trains. As a kid, I went nowhere without a booklet of ^Thomas the Tank Engine^ trading cards. Visiting my parents in Europe last year, I finally took the trains I’d been longing for to travel between cities and countries, and it changed my world. In Aotearoa, there's a lot of conversation about buses, cycleways, and light-rail or streetcars, and for good reason too. They’re all necessary in transforming the way in which we get around our cities and connect our communities.

I refuse to believe that flying and buses are the only viable public transportation options between cities. Yes, I hate flying. I always panic about passports and boarding passes, losing my luggage, and being stuck in a flying metal tube with no real grasp on where I am. I prefer my metal tubes to be moved along rails, thank you very much. 

There are a number of groups that are campaigning for rail infrastructure and the improvement of our existing networks, which are used mostly for cargo. I think these groups are missing an opportunity to let people know just how much fun train trips are—sitting in a booth with your friends, watching the rolling hills and great forests pass by, being able to stand up and move around properly rather than being confined to a seat with absolutely no leg room. Even better, electrified rail networks come without the tonnes of emissions of a claustrophobic jet. 

It's time for railway campaigns to get a makeover. Trains are the hot new thing (again). We need to resource Aotearoa with a network of reliable, accessible, and climate-friendly trains to connect communities between cities and towns, and to bring the country closer to a climate resilient, carbon-zero future. Then we can realise our dream of a European rail journey to fantastic, inter-regional holidays right here in Aotearoa.