Transport Planning

The Council’s role is to lead and advocate for a strategic and integrated land transport system and does so through the development and coordination of the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). The RLTP is the guiding strategic document for land transport within our region and identifies the region’s key land transport issues, the objectives the region wants to achieve, and the strategic priorities that will be the immediate focus of agencies responsible for land transport planning through capital and maintenance projects for the region.

Once the RLTP is updated, it triggers the requirement for a new Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) to ensure they align. Where the RLTP sets the direction for transport in general, the RPTP sets the framework for how we plan and deliver the public transport services and infrastructure aspect across the region over the next 10 years.

Just like the RLTP, the RPTP went out for public consultation to seek feedback on a vision and ambitious emissions and patronage targets. Public transport in the region includes:

• urban and commuter bus services that operate across city, towns and inter-regionally;
• the Capital Connection commuter rail service that runs on week days between Palmerston North and Wellington;
• Total Mobility, which is a subsidised private transport option for people with disabilities; and
• health shuttles and community vans that assist access to services in smaller towns.

Click on the interactive map to learn more about the key transport initiatives being progressed with key stakeholders and partner organisations across our region. The projects make up the significant work being undertaken under the Accessing Central New Zealand (ACNZ) banner to create a safe land transport network that enhances the region’s strategic location.