Aucklanders hold the key to Waikato's Te Huia train

The year-old Te Huia train service between Hamilton and Auckland may be best known to most as the go-to example used by politicians in soundbites about wasteful public spending.

The newest long-haul commuter train has nevertheless just notched up record daily patronage of 568, with all six runs effectively full, which offers another interesting lesson about public transport.

Creating a public transport rail link between Aotearoa’s largest and fourth-largest cities was a big call for the Waikato Regional Council, and its first year during the Covid-19 pandemic included a five-month shutdown.