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One fan will skip Saturday’s match between the Hurricanes and the Crusaders due to fears over travel chaos from rail closures.
A Hurricanes season ticket holder has been left “disappointed and let down” by Metlink’s “limited” rail replacement bus service for the Hurricanes vs Crusaders match on Saturday.
Porirua-based fan Alex Ellis has attended every game this season and said he wanted to go to what could possibly be the final Hurricanes home game of the season.
However, a limited bus service had him worried about large crowds crammed into buses.
He said he lacked confidence that a limited bus service could possibly carry the same number of passengers that trains with six to eight carriages could.
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“Based on the last time this happened, I’d expect long queues and then people being sardined in on whatever buses they have available.
“I don’t understand it. They’re on a weekend timetable and there’s no school buses. Why is it limited?”
Ellis went on to say driving by car wasn’t an option for him either.
“You pay $35 to park at the stadium and it’s a nightmare. It can take up to an hour just to get out of the car park.”
Back in March Metlink announced free public transport for match day ticket holders. By presenting a ticket to Metlink staff, all fans were entitled to travel for free across the network.
Monique Ford/Stuff
Metlink will not be running trains on the Wellington network due to Kiwirail carrying out track maintenance over the long weekend.
At the time, Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee said that he hoped it would lead to “bigger home crowds to help lift the team to success.”
Ellis said that for a game of the nation’s top sport, difficulty accessing the ground was “a disgrace.”
“We’re season ticket holders so we’ve paid for the games up front. If we can’t get to a game, that’s money spent that we can’t get back.
“I am aware that shutting down the rail network for maintenance is a usual occurrence for a long weekend, but surely not on rugby night?”
Bruce Mackay / STUFF
Transport Minister Michael Wood is unimpressed by KiwiRail’s explanation for train delays but is confident a review is the right approach.
In a statement, Metlink acting group manager Fiona Abbott said Kiwirail had planned to do the work months ahead.
“This is essential work that needs to be undertaken to improve the network’s resilience and prepare it for future investment.
“This is particularly important following the Government’s recent announcement of funding for new passenger trains and associated infrastructure.”
Abbott said Metlink had forecast attendance at Sky Stadium being high and planned Saturday’s replacement services with as many buses as are available to them.
“We are advising fans to plan their travel ahead of time and to be aware that there is a limited number of seats available on each bus compared to a train with multiple carriages.”
During King’s Birthday weekend, the Metlink bus network will be running as normal.
On the Hutt Valley line, trains will be running north of Petone with buses operating between Petone and Wellington.
Buses replace all trains on the Kāpiti and Wairarapa lines.
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