Our Programme

The Wellington regional transport programme sets out the land transport activities proposed to be funded over the three years from July 2024 to June 2027. This includes all activities that the region would like included in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), so that funding may be sought from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi prepares the NLTP and in doing so must take into account the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP).

The programme is guided by:

• The  RLTP strategic framework , which sets out the vision for what our region wants to achieve and the policies for how we plan to achieve these objectives,
• The five  transport investment priorities  set in the RLTP, and
• The national direction set in the  Transport Outcomes Framework  by the Ministry of Transport Te Manatū Waka , which sets common goals for what our land transport system should achieve: inclusive access, healthy and safe people, environmental sustainability, resilience and security, and economic prosperity.

The regional programme must also give effect to the  Government Policy Statement on Land Transport  (the GPS), which describes central government’s 10-year strategic priorities and objectives for land transport and provides funding ranges to guide decision makers on where and how to prioritise investment in the NLTF. The most recent Draft GPS 2024 was released in March 2024.

As part of the mid-term review of Wellington’s RLTP, activities in the regional programme have been put forward by the organisations responsible for their delivery. Activities or phases of activities for which funding has already been approved, and activities that maintain existing networks and services, are automatically included in the RLTP. Other activities are included at the discretion of the Regional Transport Committee.  

The Committee invites approved organisations to submit activities they would like included in the RLTP, guided by the RLTP strategic framework and transport investment priorities. In the Wellington Region, approved organisations comprise the eight local councils, Greater Wellington Regional Council, New Zealand Transport Agency, and the Department of Conservation. While not an approved organisation, KiwiRail also submits its transport activities for inclusion in the RLTP.

Significant transport activities were reviewed by the Committee and, following the requirement in section 16(3)(d) of the Land Transport Management Act, the Committee proposes the priority order of significant new activities using the approach set out in  Appendix D  of the RLTP 2021.

The regional programme includes the following components:

• Committed activities These are activities (or phases of activities) that have already had funding approved, but are yet to be completed. They will be funded under the NLTP 2024-27.

• Significant activities  These are improvement activities over $2 million, as defined in  Appendix C  of the RLTP 2021. These are presented in priority order to clearly signal which of the new (or new phases of) large-scale improvement projects the region considers most important.

• Other activities These include activities that maintain existing networks and services (maintenance, operations, and renewals programmes; low cost, low risk improvements, which are activities less than $2 million; the public transport programme; and road safety promotion activities), activities relating to transport planning; and improvement activities proposed to commence after 1 July 2027.

• Inter-regionally significant activities Strong inter-regional links are essential to connect people and goods to domestic and international markets. An inter-regionally significant activity is a significant activity that either has implications for connectivity with other regions; requires cooperation with other regions; or is a nationally significant activity identified in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.

• Significant expenditure funded from other sources For transport activities, the programme includes all sources of funding other than the NLTF. This funding may originate from in-kind donations of goods or services, third-party contributions, or an approved organisation. For the 2024-27 programme, these external funding sources include the New Zealand Upgrade Programme for state highway activities, the Climate Emergency Response Fund, and direct Crown funding, among others.

The RLTP mid-term review also includes the 10-year expenditure and revenue forecast for approved organisations, and a new  Appendix 1: Activities for future consideration  that provides a high-level list of regional transport activities that could be eligible for funding in the instance of a new Crown funding source arising.

The proposed budgets and timing of all activities in the regional programme are estimates and subject to change.

Transport activities in the RLTP 2024-27 programme continue to focus on delivering improved public transport capacity, travel choice, safety, resilience, and strategic access across the region. For the significant programme:

• On the Wellington metro rail network, an important programme of work will focus on addressing the historic backlog of renewals, improving rail infrastructure to accommodate for more peak service frequency and capacity, and delivering new metro rolling stock that will replace the current rolling stock reaching end of life in 2027. Funding has already been committed through the Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility project to procure 18 new hybrid-electric trains, scheduled to begin running on the rail network in 2028.

• Public transport improvements include the implementation of the National Ticketing Solution in the Wellington region, a nationally consistent, technology-based ticketing system that can be used across multiple public transport modes.

• Guided by Metlink’s Accessibility Action Plan, the regional programme will deliver infrastructure and technology improvements to increase the accessibility of the public transport system.

• Work continues on the Te Awa Kairangi—Riverlink project, which delivers crucial flood protection and river restoration work to Lower Hutt alongside improvements to public transport, walking & cycling routes, local roads, and the SH2 Melling Interchange.

• Safety improvements include NZTA’s State Highway Value for Money Safety Improvements Programme. This focuses on safety retrofits in high-risk corridors and intersections, and supporting Police efforts through enforcement and behaviour change programmes.

• The former Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) programme was dissolved in December 2023 and agreement reached by government and partner councils on key areas of collaboration and activities to be progressed going forward. This includes:
  • As set out in NZTA’s State Highway Investment Proposal, central government will build and fund the Basin Reserve upgrade and second Mt Victoria tunnel (or alternative), creating opportunities for economic productivity, reduced congestion, urban development and housing.
  • Greater Wellington and Wellington City Council will partner to deliver the Greater Wellington Rapid Transit Bus Corridor Programme (RTBCP). This project will take a regional approach to delivering Rapid Transit Bus Corridors across Wellington and bus prioritisation for Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Kāpiti Coast, and comprises five key projects: 1) Wellington Regional Rapid Transit Bus Corridor Strategic Plan, 2) Harbour Quays, 3) Eastern Corridor, 4) Wider Wellington City Council Bus Network Improvements, and 5) Prioritised Regional Busways Programme and Wider Bus Network Improvements. Walking and cycling improvements occurring in tandem with the RTBCP will ensure that pedestrians and cyclists are safe and protected along all new busways. Supported by Greater Wellington’s investment in zero emission buses, the RTBCP will help to reduce congestion, improve safety and the health of our cities, and create a more productive and resilient transport network.

• Investigation begins on Petone to Grenada and the Cross Valley Link. This Road of National Significance is a new connection designed to improve both local and regional transport access, resilience, and unlock housing growth between SH2 (from Petone and Lower Hutt) and SH1 (Grenada and Tawa).

Across the region, low cost, low risk activities (under $2 million) and maintenance, operations, and renewals activities remain an important focus for territorial authorities over the next three years, providing essential work to ensure that our region’s transport network is maintained at a serviceable and resilient standard.

The 2024-27 regional programme includes 30 significant programmes (with 62 significant activities). Each significant programme is assigned one of five 10-year transport investment priorities, which describe the main benefit that each transport activity aims to achieve. The Regional Transport Committee assigned the below weighting out of 100 to each transport priority. You can find out more about the changers to the  transport investment priorities here .

Scroll through the maps below to view the order of these programmes as prioritised by the Regional Transport Committee, and their indicative location in the region. Activities are colour-coded by the activity class from which they seek funding in the National Land Transport Fund, based on the activity classes set out in the draft GPS 2024.

• This dashboard includes an overview of all activities included in the RLTP 2024-27 programme.
• Use the ‘Project Filters’ to select what area, activity, or funding status you’re interested in. The map, charts, and project list will update automatically to show relevant activities.
• You can click on the circle and bar charts to filter activities by a particular segment of information. For example, if you click on ‘Public Transport Infrastructure’ on the Activity Class circle chart, the map, and the detailed project list will all update to show only ‘Public Transport Infrastructure’ activities.
• To remove all filters and start afresh, click the blue refresh icon (⟲) on the bottom right of the screen.
• Depending on the size of your screen, you may need to change the zoom settings in your browser to see all of the content. A larger screen may work better for some users.