Dear New Zealand Transport Agency,

Todays Dominin Post has a story titled "Train lateness on the Wairarapa Line set to improve" (URL: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/new...). This story includes the following statements from Regional councillor Paul Swain:

"Swain said the regional council had negotiated another $2.3 million from the Government to be spent on improving the Wairarapa line. The money would go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives."

1) Can I please have a copy of the business case and/or funding request from GWRC that asked for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?

2) Can I please have a copy of any benefit cost analysis calculations for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?

3) Can I please have a copy of any government reports that review or support the request (including any prioritisation assessment) for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?

4) Can I please have a copy of any government reports that outline the amount of funding to be provided, the timeframe for the funding and the source of the funding for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ??

5) Can I please have a copy of any government reports that outline any impacts the allocation of this funding may have on other transport demands from this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?

6) Can please I have a copy of any papers submitted to the NZTA Board as well as any board minutes that cover NZTA Board discussions and/or decisions to for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?

If this information is held in electronic form, I would prefer it was provided in its original and complete electronic format.

Yours faithfully,

Tony Randle

Dear Official Correspondence,

Thank you for your response to my request for information held by NZTA on the “Government funding increase to fix train lateness on the Wairarapa Line”. However, it is confusing that the NZTA holds just a single document to support on this multi-million dollar PT investment and that no other documentation associated with the cost or benefits assessment are held.

For the sake of clarity, I would like to confirm the following issues related to my information request:

1) I note NZTA the Report provided “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case” dated 25 June 2015 includes the statement:
“This memo seeks you approval to an increase in investment of $2,290,000 at a 100% Funding Assistance Rate (FAR) in Wellington Regional Councils (GWRC) Public Transport (PT) Programme … to bring forward a programme of maintenance and renewals to address on-time reliability issues with the Hutt Valley Line.”

My information request quoted a DomPost article that stated “the regional council had negotiated another $2.3 million from the Government to be spent on improving the Wairarapa line.” My request asked:
“Can I please have a copy of the business case and/or funding request from GWRC that asked for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

1a: Question: Can NZTA please confirm it does not hold any other documents, meeting notes or correspondence related to the claim by GWRC that “the regional council had negotiated another $2.3 million from the Government to be spent on improving the Wairarapa line.” ?

My information request also asked:
“Can I please have a copy of any government reports that review or support the request (including any prioritisation assessment) for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

1b: Question: Given the provided memo Subject is “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case”, can NZTA please confirm that this memo is the NZTA business case or, if not, that there is no other document that constitutes the business case for this investment ?

2) I note NZTA the Report provided “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case” dated 25 June 2015 includes the statement:
“The key efficiency benefit is reduction in travel time for public transport users. At present an average loss of travel time of 10 minutes generates negative travel time benefits of approximately $5 million per annum, based on an average travel time value of $5 per hour (combined peak and off peak values), delay of ten minutes and 6,382,000 passenger trips on the Hutt Valley Line.”

My information request asked:
“Can I please have a copy of any benefit cost analysis calculations for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

2a: Question: Can NZTA please confirm it does not hold any other documents or correspondence related to the calculation of the $5 million per annum of estimated benefits such as the source for the claimed 10 minutes negative travel time benefit ?

3) I note NZTA the Report provided “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case” dated 25 June 2015 includes the statement:
“A one-off increase of $2,290,000 investment by the NZ Transport Agency in the Track Access Agreement between GWRC and KiwiRail will increase the priority for asset renewal and maintenance on the HVL to address journey time reliability and travel time predictability. … The one-off increase will, bring forward and substantially address the deferred maintenance. The additional benefit for KiwiRail is the avoidance of penalties as a result of the metro PT services not meeting their on-time performance targets”

My information request asked:
“Can I please have a copy of any government reports that review or support the request (including any prioritisation assessment) for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

3a: Question: Can NZTA please confirm it does not hold any documents, meeting notes or correspondence that details the specific work to be funded by the $2,290,000 investment ?

3b: Question: The DomPost article quoted Regional Councilor Paul Swain as saying "The money would go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives". Can NZTA please confirm whether some of the $2.29M investment "money would go toward … rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives for the Wairarapa Line” ?

4) I note NZTA the Report provided “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case” dated 25 June 2015 includes the statement:
“Efficiency was assessed as set out in PIBK with the Wellington RPTP and Regional Rail Plan as supporting evidence for effectiveness. Efficiency was assessed on Service Programme Benefits Cost Appraisal and a calculation of Travel time disbenefits under the economic Evaluation Manual (EEM).”

My information request asked:
“Can I please have a copy of any benefit cost analysis calculations for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

4a: Question: Can NZTA please confirm it does not hold any other documents or correspondence related to the efficiency assessment and/or the calculation of the Travel time disbenefits such as the calculation source for this calculated this Benefits Efficiency ratio and/or information held in the planning and investment knowledge base (PIKB) ?

5) I note NZTA the Report provided “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case” dated 25 June 2015 includes the statement:
“Under the Benefit Cost Appraisal tool the impact of increased investment in the GWRC is a Benefits to Efficiency ratio for the GWRC rail programme of 4.8.”

My information request asked:
“Can I please have a copy of any benefit cost analysis calculations for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

5a: Question: Can NZTA please confirm it does not hold any other documents or correspondence related to the calculation of the Benefits Efficiency ratio for the GWRC rail programme of 4.8 such as the calculation source for this calculated this Benefits Efficiency ratio and/or information held in the planning and investment knowledge base (PIKB) ?

6) I note NZTA the Report provided “Hutt Valley Line On-Time Reliability – Business Case” dated 25 June 2015 includes the statement:
“To facilitate the advancement of renewals and maintenance on the Hutt Valley Line (HVL) investment at 100% FAR in the GWRC PT Programme … by the NZ Transport Agency is recommended”

My information request asked:
“Can I please have a copy of any government reports that review or support the request (including any prioritisation assessment) for this request from GWRC for money to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" on the Wairarapa Line ?”

6a: Question: Can NZTA please confirm it does not any other documents, meeting notes or correspondence related to the decision to prioritise this investment at a 100% FAR ?

Yours sincerely,

Tony Randle

Dear Wayne Heerdegen,

Sure, I will call tomorrow.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Randle

Dear Wayne Heerdegen,

The initial NZTA information response was to provide the funding approval memo for the Wairarapa line funding but no other information was provided that supported the costs and benefits supporting this NZTA funding to the GWRC.

We have had a long and, I thought, productive conversation where I understood we identified some specific information items that the NZTA would provide.

This included providing copies of the following:
* the source document for the cost estimate of $2.3Million to be provided to the GWRC to "improve the Wairarapa Line" (although you stated it was actually for improving the Hut Line).
* a description of the work that the $2.3Million was to support (I understand the GWRC claimed the funding is to "go toward replacing corroded rail and rolling out more powerful DFB diesel locomotives" but that NZTA is only funding track replacement).
* The funding memo notes that poor track causes "an average loss of travel time of 10 minutes generates negative travel time benefits of approximately $5 million per annum, based on an average travel time value of $5 per hour (combined peak and off peak values), delay of ten minutes and
6,382,000 passenger trips on the Hutt Valley Line" for all commuters. A copy of the source that outlines the 10 minutes estimate for travel time loss currently affecting 6,382,000 passenger trips on the Hutt Valley Line that will be address by this funding investment to be provided.
* Any meeting notes or correspondence associated with the $2,290,000 investment by the NZTA to the GWRC to "bring forward and substantially address the deferred maintenance" as outlined in the NZTA Memo.
* The specific calculations that showed, as outlined in the NZTA Memo, “Under the Benefit Cost Appraisal tool the impact of increased investment in the GWRC is a Benefits to Efficiency ratio for the GWRC rail programme of 4.8.”
* Written confirmation of whom within the NZTA a 100% FAR investment as outlined in the NZTA Memo when it states “To facilitate the advancement of renewals and maintenance on the Hutt Valley Line (HVL) investment at 100% FAR in the GWRC PT Programme … by the NZ Transport Agency is recommended”.

I am yet to receive any substantive response from the NZTA for my request that was sent to the NZTA on the 12th of August, nearly two months ago.

Can you please update the status of this information request and outline when I may receive the requested information ?

Yours sincerely,

Tony Randle

Dear Official Correspondence,

Thank you for the most of the information. However, Attachment 1 cannot be viewed in Acrobat ... something is wrong (I have tried two different versions on two different PCs. The other attachments are fine.

Can you please re-create and resend Attachment 1 please ?

Yours sincerely,

Tony Randle

Dear Official Correspondence,

Thanks for proactively checking this Marija. The previous attachment didn't work for me either but I wanted check it on another PC before I came back to you. But the latest version works so thanks very much.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Randle