Gisborne East Coast centre has been busy with champ of champs tournaments Winners of the various centre titles qualify for national champ of champs tournaments Te Karaka’s David File and Paddy Stewart and Wairoa’s Glenda Kapene and Jo Wroe are the Gisborne East Coast centre champion of champion pairs winners for 2025 beat Tolaga Bay’s George Tamihana and Mark Walker 20-11 in the men’s final Kapene (s) and Wrote defeated host club Te Karaka’s Diane Murray and Marie Wright 16-15 in the women’s final File and Stewart’s win qualified them for the national men’s champion of champion pairs being held at Frankton Junction club in Hamilton from August 8-10 Kapene and Wroe are eligible for the national women’s equivalent at New Lynn in Auckland from August 15-17 The men’s tournament featured 14-year-old twin brothers Liam and Kyle Pinn (s) of Kahutia the youngest players competing in the centre event the Pinn twins made a comeback against George Tamihana (skip) and Mark Walker before going down 21-11 to their more experienced opponents Gisborne’s Andrew Ball (2) and Mal Trowell saw off Poverty Bay’s Marc Alexander (s) and Geoff Pinn File and Stewart and Wairoa’s Murray Glassey (s) and Vern Withey met in the semifinals after first-round byes Glassey and Withey trailed 13-11 with two ends to go but were unable to make up the deficit and File and Stewart won 15-12 to book a place in the final Tamihana and Walker had a comfortable win over Ball and Trowell in the other semi Round 1 of the women’s tournament featured a fine comeback from Murray and Wright who won after trailing Poverty Bay’s Ngawai Turipa (s) and Debs Hancock by seven points Kahutia’s Glenys Whiteman (s) and Ngamiro Allen proved too good for Tolaga Bay’s Krystel Williams (s) and Olivia Scott Murray and Wright won a humdinger battle with Whiteman and Allen by one shot to advance to the final Kapene (s) and Wroe eliminated Gisborne’s Carol Hawes (s) and Dianne Phillips 23-14 Gisborne's Pardoe and Smith make age group finals as next-gen showcase their potential Contractors began the work to fell 33 trees 29 shrubs and a hedge alongside State Highway 6 at Frankton Golf Course early on Monday morning signalling the start of the $250 million NZUP road improvement project That's one of the main aims for the team behind Queenstown's now-$250 million State Highway 6 improvement project which includes a full redesign of one of South Island's busiest junctions Some 44,000 vehicles use the BP roundabout on a peak day it will be replaced by a traffic lights-managed intersection with all approaches extensively remodelled and the nearby bus station revamped and expanded Construction manager Mark Townsley says traffic engineers have sequenced the work to ensure traffic can flow in all directions as much as possible throughout the project "We're going to move the main roundabout twice [during construction] with the same traffic lanes going in and out," he says "It won't make the traffic flow through the intersection any worse than it is today but we can't make it better in the temporary state Townsley says the engineers have been using sensors to measure how long it takes for vehicles to pass through the junction "We'll continue to monitor that through the construction so we can make any tweaks and adjustments needed." Work began at 5am on Monday with the felling of trees on Frankton Golf Course required SH6 to be closed for one hour between the BP roundabout and Lucas Place The road was also due to be closed 5am-6am Tuesday SH6 between the roundabout and Joe O'Connell Drive for the first 18 months of the project disruption should be minimal as the majority of the work will take place off the highway As Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency remodels roads the Whakatipu Transport Programme Alliance it also updates and relocates utilities services - power That's all included in the cost of the project This includes a 1.4metre-diametre water pipe while further into the project the overhead power cables will be undergrounded (see timeline) and Kā Huanui a Tāhuna construction manager Mark Townsley is also behind the calamitous Queenstown Arterial Road Project with the overspend picked up by ratepayers It was one of then-PM Jacinda Ardern's pandemic-inspired 'Shovel Ready' schemes with Central Government pledging $50m towards the cost of the non-state highway road known officially as the Queenstown NZ Upgrade Programme "We've had more time to design and more time to plan," he says "and that gives me greater confidence with the project construction timeframes and the construction budget it was right at the beginning [of the pandemic] to get things moving because tourism had died off That's the big difference between the two." Ngāi Tahu kaiwhakahaere (chairman) Justin Tipa Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers at the sod-turn ceremony in Frankton on Thursday to turn the first sod confirmed the Government has upped the budget for the SH6 project from its original $113m to an eye-watering $250m Brown says the original programme was not properly costed by the previous Labour Government the Government is committed to this project," Brown says We know the significant benefits around efficiency and productivity of this critical roading connection need to happen "And so we made the call to keep this project moving We've put more money into it but we've made it very clear as well we expect it delivered on time and within budget." The aim of the whole project is to improve traffic flow along SH6 and SH6A in particular to provide better road conditions for buses and active travel The Government has already faced criticism for what was perceived as a car-focused draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport we have allocated up to $2.3 billion in the GPS for public transport services up to $2.1bn for public transport infrastructure We've actually got a proud record of delivering public transport infrastructure under previous National governments So we'll continue to make those investments This project has public transport benefits as part of it." The project would address pinch points in Queenstown's road network and unlock housing along Ladies Mile But there was no immediate plans to replace the Shotover bridge "The local council will put forward what they think [is] needed as part of their Regional Land Transport Plan which will feed into the National Land Transport programme "We're not here to make calls on what particular projects should be in or out that work we'll be done by the New Zealand Transport Agency board Queenstown's MP Joseph Mooney planned to drive the Minister around Queenstown on Thursday afternoon NZTA Principal Transport Planner Tony Sizemore says it's always going to be a challenge for the network to meet the demands of Queenstown's growth we just have to try and manage it as best we can." NZUP is a "foundational" project for a multi-modal approach to meeting that demand including public transport and active travel - biking and walking the Wellington Traffic Operations Centre will be able to balance the flow of traffic managing the fluctuation in demand in various directions such as the morning and afternoon flow to skifields followed by installation of a new 1.4m-diameter stormwater pipe and undergrounding of power lines near Gray and McBride Sts There will be no active works on the state highway during daytime hours Some 124 trees will be felled over the whole project Excavation of the new state highway at the golf course corner begins The existing BP roundabout will remain and continue to manage traffic SH6 traffic will move closer to the Frankton Cemetery so two lanes of traffic can continue during construction Construction of the intersection at Joe O’Connell Drive (Queenstown Events Centre) will begin Gray and McBride Street intersection roads and footpaths will be rebuilt The new state highway at the golf course corner will be complete The BP roundabout will continue to manage all intersection traffic Northern-side of SH6 (near Frankton Cemetery) and SH6A (Frankton Rd) are excavated and rebuilt which will occur in stages so operations can continue Traffic shifts onto the northern side of both SH6 and SH6A BP roundabout will be deconstructed and replaced with a temporary roundabout located near the Frankton Cemetery The southern side of SH6A is excavated and rebuilt with operations temporarily moved towards Ross St New traffic islands and finishing works will occur overnight with traffic lights one of the last elements of the project to turn on Construction of the new roundabout at the turn-off from SH6 Ladies Mile to Howards Drive is expected to being during the latter stages of the Frankton project The roundabout will be similar to those at Stalker Road All will eventually be controlled by traffic lights along with various pedestrian crossings along the route There will be five sets initially but numbering 18 when later phases are completed The Lakes Weekly is part of Queenstown Media Group (QMG) QMG is Queenstown’s leading locally owned and operated media company with print online and social platforms that engage locals with what they care about — everything local The Lakes Weekly delivers stories and news that connects with local so they come away each week better connected to their community Advertising sits within this curated content environment and it’s a trusted relationship between readers and the Lakes Weekly Advertisers benefit from the association with the LWB brand values The Lakes Weekly is hand delivered to every business in Queenstown Five Mile Remarkables Park and Glenda Drive on Tuesday libraries and drop boxes throughout the region and every supermarket throughout the Queenstown basin and Wanaka Online the issue is available Monday afternoon The Otago Regional Council looks after Otago’s environment ensuring activities comply with legislation Council meetings and projects open for your participation and feedback The Otago Regional Council works with communities to preserve native animals and plants We ensure natural resources – such as our water Our harbourmaster keeps people safe on the water. We promote sustainable behaviours towards natural resources The Resource Management Act 1991 sets out how we should manage our environment and forms the foundation for many of our rules Learn how the Council works to identify risks and help communities coordinate ORC has made public facing customer services a priority - to meet the increasing needs of this fast growing district Residents and businesses in Queenstown and surrounding areas will now have greater and more convenient access to ORC’s services with its new customer service centre at Terrace Junction The Queenstown office will provide customers with the same full service currently available at the Dunedin hub five staff have been recruited for ORC’s new customer service centre in Queenstown Along with ORC’s various public facing services centres and depot locations around the Otago region the ORC aims to continue to demonstrate its commitment to serving all communities across Otago “It’s important to the Council to be where our community are; especially with the growth that is happening in the Southern Lakes district Being accessible is integral to our commitment to connect the Council with our region and it’s great to be even more accessible to our community in Queenstown and surrounding areas.” “We have staff on the ground operating all over the region with staff based at depots in Balclutha The new Queenstown office will be a cashless service centre Customers can access all these services online through the ORC website visiting in person is a more favorable option Emma Schranz ORC Senior Media Advisor 0276275894media@orc.govt.nz 0800 800 033 0800 474 082 You are not permitted to download, save or email this image. Visit image gallery to purchase the image Expected to open around December next year it’ll be on the southern side of Central St opposite hospo tenants like Love Chicken and The Coffee Club Queenstown Central spokesperson Simon Holloway says the "vibrant" hospo venue will be integrated within an "intimately-landscaped" town square Designed to reflect "the rich rural character of Central Otago" will provide a variety of "quality food vendor stations and a bar to suit all tastes" Spearheaded by locally-owned Future Hospitality Group whose Queenstown CBD offerings include Little Blackwood it’ll include a central bar and main kitchen and four other food stations Holloway anticipates it’ll become "the go-to choice for locals seeking both casual bites and special occasions" — be they intimate family gatherings or multi-family celebrations The venue will include exclusive mezzanine function spaces the courtyard area will be separated from the public area by a low concrete wall can cater for different events such as performances The build is being handled by Cook Brothers Construction The recent reconstruction of School House Bridge on the Montgomery Canal has been recognised at the 2024 ICE* West Midlands Awards (*Institute of Civil Engineers) The work – carried out by Shropshire Council with Montgomery Canal Reconstruction Ltd Macrete Island Ltd and Mea Ltd – was highly commended for the Heritage award and won Best Small Project of the Year 2024 award The reconstruction work was completed in January 2024 Originally constructed between 1794 and 1821 The Montgomery Canal runs 33 miles from Frankton Junction in Shropshire to Newtown in Powys The canal was abandoned following a breach in 1936 and legally closed in 1944 work has been ongoing to restore the canal School House Bridge was demolished in the late 1960s and replaced with an earth causeway across the canal bed Its restoration was the key obstacle to reopening the final dry section of canal remaining in Shropshire 10m long and 6.5m wide and was constructed with the innovative Flexiarch system alongside Maccaferri Terramesh reinforced soil embankments and gabion wing walls The earth causeway across the canal (photo taken in 2015) Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways said: “This is great news and deserved recognition for this important and fantastic work My thanks and congratulations go to all involved Reconstruction of the bridge will enable the full reopening of the canal up to the Shropshire County border preserving the county’s cultural heritage whilst also enhancing the local ecosystems in a sustainable way.” Email: communications@shropshire.gov.uk Phone: 01743 252826 Email: customer.service@shropshire.gov.uk Phone: 0345 678 9000 Last year we launched the Regional Rapid Rail concept, a staged approach to an inter-regional rail network in the upper North Island. The idea has proven popular and now forms part of the government’s transport plans Hamilton forms the heart of the Regional Rapid Rail network and it will be important to the success of the whole concept that we get Hamilton right Critical to making Hamilton work will be moving Hamilton’s station from Frankton to a better more central location with better connections to: more amenable and central station will be highly beneficial for the same reasons that moving from the Strand to Britomart was a great success for Auckland’s rail network Regional Rapid Rail proposed two options for a Hamilton Central Station We believe that any trains terminating at Hamilton will need to do so without impacting on the important Intercity trains also generally require longer dwell times for servicing and recovery both options would require multiple new ‘offline’ platforms Option 1 – Upgraded Underground Station “Hamilton’s Britomart?” Many don’t realise that Hamilton once had an underground station The former station still exists but is derelict and has only a single track and platform which must also accommodate all freight to and from Tauranga Standing on an underground platform while a large and noisy freight train rumbles past wouldn’t make for a very pleasant experience the station entrances have since been built over by the K-Mart building on the block fronting Bryce Street between Tristram Street and Anglesea Street and it would be infeasible to expand the former station to the required configuration without demolishing the buildings above This option would provide a well located central station within the city centre proper this represents the option for a comprehensive urban redevelopment which would include demolishing the K-Mart building constructing the new station and tracks in a trench below the site analogous to a “mini-Britomart” with benefits not just on top but for Hamilton’s City Centre as a whole The new development could even be great for K-Mart with the potential for a flagship store on top This option would be to construct a new Hamilton Central station in an open cutting in the parkland alongside Bryce Street between the Seddon Road overbridge and the ECMT tunnel portal under Tristram Street This would locate the new central station one block west of the existing bus interchange and two blocks away from the core of downtown Hamilton It would also be within walking distance of the cricket and rugby stadiums This would require rebuilding Seddon Road overbridge with a broader span to clear multiple tracks the rest of the station could be relatively cheap and simple to construct at this location provided a strip of parkland could be acquired The location in a cutting would allow easy concourse access from street level with the main entrance at the corner of Bryce Street and Tristram Street This would also require approximately 600m of double tracking from Frankton to the new station site and the construction of the currently missing third leg of Frankton Junction for when services extend south of Hamilton This simple option has been included in the capital development budget for Stage 2 With a new Government interested in Urban Renewal and Transit Orientated Development the potential exists to work with the owners of the land, which I believe may be Tainui, to deliver a fantastic urban precinct for Hamilton connected to both regional and interregional transit. (Tainui are also behind the Ruakura development) The Kmart at the shopping centre on Bryce St does OK but I don’t know how any of the other shops in the mall break even Foot traffic is quite low from the Kmart to the eastern entrance The section on the northern corner of Bryce and Tristram (the old Countdown) is basically just a carpark and I suspect is the result of land banking Both these sites offer huge potential for redevelopment I hope KiwiBuild looks at opportunities in central Hamilton For all the talk about revitalising the CBD there is a lack of any vision apart from more and cheaper car parks and relandscaping Garden Place for the 78th time It’s the same story in Christchurch – transport options are pretty good but there is a lack of people outside 9–5 and rebuilding central housing is the greatest need right now https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/97839006/building-by-building-hamilton-cbds-getting-an-upgrade FYI; The old countdown has been redeveloped I completely agree that the city centre needs far more activity outside of 9-5 but the scale of change needed is far bigger Council/government needs to redevelop some of their landholding in the centre to spur further development I agree the carpark next to the refurbished Genesis (former Countdown) building could have an island platform station under it It would be next door to the Transport Centre bus station and maybe it could extend part way under that too Much cheaper to dig up roadways than buildings Yep – close the westernmost block of Bryce St and cut-and-cover across Tristram to the car park Britomart could only have succeeded as a terminus option – it would never have been built if it had been sold as a through route It took 15 years for Britomart to prove itself to the point that government and developers were willing to vote with their diggers on a massive transport and real estate project The cutting option presented here is like Britomart Mark I – allow the concept to prove itself to set the scene for major redevelopment in the future However I wouldn’t consider a station sitting in a green belt to be a halo destination and something much more attractive could be built on the carpark site This is a key opportunity to redevelop the site now https://i.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/101107217/waikato-regional-council-faces-increased-maintenance-capital-spend The old tunnel entry is where the Warehouse complex is The Warehouse was built on the old Hamilton Transport Centre site in front of the K Mart building A new station really needs to be built at Frankton to replace the current poorly located and difficult to find and access Hamilton station This ought to be built on the vacant railway land alongside High Street adjacent Commerce Street – the main commercial street of Frankton: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@-37.788973,175.2638688,3a,75y,320.5h,88.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smZ1kPEgURW67loc7SiGp6w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 A long platform could be built on the existing loop track which would keep the main line clear and a large park and ride could be developed next to it on the vacant land which would make the train service much easier to find The last thing that site needs is Park and Ride But I completely agree the station should be moved I have been considering a wider development there myself over the last few weeks If a new or upgraded Central station was developed would there still be a need for the Frankton Station as well For much the same reason that an Aotea station is justified even though Britomart was built The are about 1.5km apart and Frankton is ripe for some redevelopment Frankton and Aotea aren’t exactly the same sort of land use intensity kind Frankton has more in common with Westfield that Aotea Westfield has a bustling town centre with over 100 retail stores and several new apartment buildings So much development potential to be unlocked at both If by that you mean a strip mall and some drive thru’s half a kilometre away across an industrial area both Frankton and Westfield are very similar It’s almost like you have never been to Frankton and only passed through https://goo.gl/maps/AcjnuXdtYW72 When I took a look around Frankton (yes just driving through and poking around the rail lines) I assumed the strip along Greenwood Street was the ‘town centre’ I actually had no idea there was a proper main street on the other side of the tracks So I can now see a much better fit with Frankton and a suburban transit station I would still question if the *regional* rail should stop there if it had a CBD station also Generally I would say only ever one stop per city/town for regional rail unless there is such a broad spread that a second stop to cover the suburbs on the way in and out In the case of Hamilton I think that is Te Rapa to have a northern stop rather than two central ones for me Regional Rail should only stop at Britomart We should then have an Auckland metro service (Britomart to Pokeno) and a Waikato Regional Service (Pokeno to Rotorua and Cambridge to Te Kuiti) This will enable far higher speeds on the inter-regional services and far more stations on the intra-regional services Frankton is a great place to develop a ‘second’ centre for Hamilton and a railway station at the end of Commerce Street would be a major catalyst I think the government also needs to tell councils that they will only support stops where the zoning justifies it too If running two tiers of train service I would cast the net a bit closer and the the regional rail do the real intercity stuff In my opinion the “Hamilton S-Bahn” Should be Huntly to Cambridge Each line would be a little less than an hour end to end or two hours return including stops and layover With two patterns on four lines of about the same length you could timetable the four trains to arrive at Hamilton Central at the same time (assuming you had four platforms) for a minimal-delay timed transfer between any of the lines That would work well for freight because you’d have to periods of about ten minutes an hour when the network was busy with passegner trains and two periods of about twenty minutes each hour when it was completely clear for freights A fleet of eight trains + spares could therefore give half hourly service all day Another four trains could round out a decent peak service With that in place you might only need the two actual intercity lines Tauranga to Auckland and Rotorua to Auckland I’m thinking of the ideal outcome (which may well be 30 years away) Whereas I feel like you system could be in in 30 years Yes of course Frankton Junction would still be the station for long distance services There is a reason why it has always existed quality station for intercity trains to use (ie Wellington – Auckland services) as I imagine there would be little appetite for these to enter a new underground station in Hamilton Central And if the third leg of the triangle was built the existing station would be fully cut off Just need to make sure these is sufficient short-term (max 60 minute) and coach parking provided to drop-offs and transfers Many trains to the southwest of England do this exact thing at Bristol Temple Meads on a far busier line and in a far busier station then anywhere in NZ; if there’s no issue there I can’t see why the same can be done at Hamilton Central It’s not as if “Dora” the Explorer is keeping a tight timetable is it but at 200kph that’s less of a disadvantage now The existing station is only about 1.5 km from the K mart mall/Norris Ward Park It has a new cycleway/footpath connecting it to the CBD The platform is directly adjacent to the access road so a bus stop would be 2m from the train Also the platforms are on sidings so passenger trains waiting there will not interfere with freight services It exists now and is entirely useable without having to spend a cent Where the money needs to be spent is on upgrading the Hamilton-Papakura line to be competitive with the Waikato Expressway which will likely have long sections of 110km/hr Speed and reliability of the service are the keys to its success Auckland’s old Strand station was *only* about 900m from the new Britomart underground station or bottom of Queen St and look how well that worked Britomart has proven incontrovertibly that a central station is fundamentally more appealing and successful than one which is only 900m further away from where the action is The proposal here has some challenges to work through around sharing lines with freight I don’t think you understand the difference between downtown Auckland and the wasteland that is central Hamilton In 2013 14,694 commuted into central Hamilton 10,746 into Te Rapa and 6,519 into Frankton 20,607 commuted into Auckland Central east and 25,710 into AC west So central Hamilton has roughly a third of central Auckland’s commuters – 2-car trains So far no one’s suggested a line alongside the Expressway being built That would cut over 10km off the Auckland-Tauranga rail route and leave the current line under Hamilton mainly for passenger trains Is it too late to modify the Expressway to accommodate a freight line You’ve left out Auckland Harbourside which is another 15k workers not to mention around 30k students that aren’t on the journey to work list There’s no suburban rail system in Hamilton and given that they struggle to get any buses even half full at peak time there’s not likely to be one in the forseeable future This is strictly about trains between Auckland and Hamilton and the existing station is the best option given the huge demands on available resources Just run bus services through the station access road Or use some of that empty land behind the station to extend the carpark Hamilton’s putting 85-seat double deckers on some routes At present only 36 freight trains run under Hamilton in the 9 hours between 8am and 5pm there should be some space for passenger trains @Compaq: Unfortunately Hamilton has had typically poor NZ urban planning and urban leadership that has allowed it’s CBD to decline and for developments near Te Rapa to rise At some stage there should be a CBD revival for Hamilton and it should become more attractive for white collar workplaces and possibly even residences But to be honest; I can see Tauranga getting commuter/suburban railways before Hamilton or even Christchurch @Compaq- I had a quick look at that report & although some wording talks of declining the actual Jan 12 mths has gone up .4% since new contracts has gone up 2+% for 3 months The old strand station was fine for long distance services It was just less than ideal for Auckland services are you sure it’s not The Warehouse that is built above the underground station I remember visiting the station when younger and it was definitely at the Anglesea St end of the block See for example: http://www.bettertransport.org.nz/2010/03/hamilton-underground-station/ http://hamiltonheritagecollections.co.nz/nodes/view/932 As I recall there was some provision in the building permit (or similar) for The Warehouse that had to consider the possibility of the railway station being used again at some future point Important to ensure we’re talking about the right building before plans get too advanced I think she was saying where to gain access to have enough space to create new tracks to enable trains to pull up without clogging the single ECMT Similar to Britomart Stn post-CRL when it will have two dead end tracks and two tracks passing through the station(except Hamilton would have one track) The mayor and the DHB are presently digging holes so the work has already begun build some high rise kiwibuild apartments with swissrail style retail section underneath and an on site catapult for anyone that mentions MPRs so they can drink from the Waikato it is clear that more platforms are needed for the Hamilton Central Station or another bottleneck in the system will be created Interesting also that you mentioned Ruakura in passing Does the RRR plan consider a station at Ruakura The new development will be a massive employment and residential hub in its own right plus the university and large existing residential area is close by… students will walk a km or so to the station to save a couple of bucks and you’d think they would be big users of regional rail to Auckland Yes I agree a station at Ruakura should be a formality The easy way of incorporating Hamilton’s underground station into the proposed regional rail service at least in the short-term is not to terminate trains there but run them all through to somewhere else The proposed Auckland-Hamilton service should continue to Cambridge (some rebuilding work necessary to re-establish a station there) Auckland-Tauranga (Te Puke/Whakatane) and Auckland-Rotorua services will obviously continue through anyway To contemplate a massive new station development in Hamilton at this nascent stage of the regional rail strategy seems a tad premature Frankton Station should remain as another stop for all trains and a potential interchange with NIMT-south services Auckland-Wellington services will still need to use it as will any other service proposals for Auckland-NIMT-south The Hamilton Central Station is a stage two project for RRR I don’t think there is any suggestion this work would be done before the first stage I think it would make more sense for Auckland – Wellington trains to pull into Hamilton Central A few more minutes on a long trip would be well worth pulling into what would be the busiest station on the trip if you were catching the train from Wellington or Palmy or Te Awamutu to Hamilton would you want your train to go to stop at Frankton or Hamilton Central Yes I think this central station (central to Hamilton AND the whole of the RRR really – look at the map & as Harriet says in effect early on in the post) needs some proper money thrown at it from central govt sooner rather than too far into the scheme This is a good regional development proposal really and it needs a proper station to work best Frankton Station area can be stabling as the RRR report mentions Pull it down and save on money maintaining it No keep Frankton Junction as the main station for long distance services and a station for the local area Only reinstate the underground station for some services that serve Hamilton itself I doubt it would make a difference either way It would be faster to ride a bike from Te Awamutu to Hamilton than to use a train The trains have to go slow as they push a bow wave of steel across the swamp Don’t go hanging your hat on any demand from TA to justify spending money on rail It’s a shame that the actual track speeds don’t align with your statements General line speed limit over the Whangamarino Swamp is 80Km/h However multiple curves near the northern end reduce allowable speeds to between 55 and 65Km/h for about 3Km Spurring off to the Hamilton underground station and then reversing out again would NOT be desirable for overlander passengers at all Frankton Junction is not exactly far from the Hamilton CBD anyway It’s a fine station for long distance passengers Keep it for the long distance services but reuse the underground dp station for commuter rail and any future Hamilton/Waikato commuter/suburban rail The Cambridge rail line terminates at the Hautapu Dairy Factory beyond that the old railway formation has been used to widen Victoria Road buried under an embankment of the Waikato Expressway and used to provide space for a roundabout The land where the station was is being covered with the “Lakewood” development The Waikato expressway left the rail corridor clear and the even build a huge span on the overbridge for the rail There is heaps of room in the median of Victoria Road and plenty of opportunity for a new station platform Seriously they made them build a longer span to accommodate a rail line that will never be used Someone needs to sort out our archaic designation system First in seems to dictate terms regardless of cost or utility NZTA got held to ransom with the motorway to Maioro St because the railways had designated land they will never need You must be thinking of a different project as this rail line will definitely be used Hautapu to Cambridge or the Mt Roskill designation Eventually the Hautapu factory will close as Fonterra moves to fewer larger sites at that time the whole siding will be closed Kiwirail whoever have no intention of ever building it they had no intention ever since the Pollen Island port option was dumped Proof they have no intention is the AT LRT scheme I think that project precludes the requiring authority ever using the designation “at that time the whole siding will be closed.” If we have a government with no imagination whatsoever Why on earth would you abandon a centre to cetre link between what will be the two largest towns in the Waikato? One reason would be high costs and the other reason would be lack of benefits The problem is that both people in Cambridge who want to ride on a train don’t want to go at the same time You must be really upset about the GPS to be trolling this poorly miffy If only two people in small towns near to major centres want to take the train then there must be two people in Pukekohe taking a couple of thousand trips a day You clearly haven’t been under the Waikato Expressway there is a large gap in the span that has been left for the railway line the rail corridor has been preserved in and out of Cambridge Does need a bit of work and road re-alignment The railway corridor will not have been removed The corridor is still there and the railways will still own the land that the Lakewood development is being built upon and will be able to demolish whatever’s being built there and reestablish a station if they ever wanted to however it would need work and realistically would need to be trenched through the town Why would rail need to be trenches through sleepy Cambridge Everyone thinks Cambridge is a sleep little town because it was quiet when they drove through on a long weekend 10 years ago Cambridge needs to be trenched because I count nine at grade crossings in a little over 3km from the dairy factory I don’t think it is feasible to have a twin track at grade railway crossing every side road for 3 km on the main access road for a town of 30,000 people (projected 2050 population) http://www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/Waipa2050/DistrictGrowthStrategy/Documents/Future%20Waipa%20A4%20Booklet%20Single%20Pages%20Print.pdf You’d only be looking at a few services a day to begin with perhaps build a bypass for tauranga bound freight trains from taupiri to ruakura Once Hamilton central gets popular look at more tracks & platforms Why go from Taupiri to Ruakura and not go roughly the same distance from Taupiri to Morrinsville (skipping the Hamilton Metropolitan area altogether) Yes I think that the abandoned Hamilton underground station is a criminally unused asset But just two things: 1) As I understand it; the station’s ventilation for diesel fumes left a lot to be desired as is the bridge over the Waikato to the almost immediate east But yes I think it would be an ideal location for a stop if regular railway services to Tauranga (and possibly even also Rotorua) were reintroduced The surface station access may be long built-over but it could be an ideal motivator to redevelop commercial space in Central Hamilton; with the station access being part of retail and commercial real estate I think that if this was achieved; the best idea for the next big project would be to build a rail link between Morrinsville and Taupiri for freights and passenger trains to Tauranga (and possibly Rotorua) that do not pass through Hamilton whatsoever Hamilton and Tuapiri to be used for the basis of a dedicated commuter rail service for Hamilton and the satellite Waikato towns Initially run services to Frankton Junction from Morrinsville If this gets established; funding can be justified for reestablishing services to Cambridge as far South as Otorohonga and as far South-East as Tokoroa Frequent connections to Tauranga can also be looked-at In the long-term could be goals of; expanding the tunnel and replacing the bridge for double-tracking electrification and a complementary tram/light rail system for Hamilton itself It’s going to be a long long time before something like this is successful In the mean time motorists will be whacked with fuel taxes To me it all comes down to whether your fuel tax actually benefits you If the public transport improvement paid for by your fuel tax takes only 10% of the traffic off the road you will find your road journey times will be much quicker Taking traffic off major routes across the Waikato would be a major benefit to all motorists and trucking firms in the area A well funded public transport system with good connections will attract many ‘marginal’ motorists off the road as a motorist it may be in your interest to advocate a big petrol tax so that you can drive to where you want to go quickly They’ve been whacked with fuel taxes to build roads that haven’t kept up with congestion and have done nothing for the road toll by what I encounter in my job in the rail industry primarily operating trains between the said two main locations I see as okay for planning in the long term future Surely there is better opportunity by getting much much more of the Auckland Hamilton freight onto rail At the same time providing bus services from the Waikato/Bop to say for example Drury with the inclusion of extended EMU services to a park n ride at drury(yes extension of the overhead to Drury) why these two scenarios can’t be implemented within two-three years As someone who has done too long in the rail industry my take on things is that a lot of the Waikato-Auckland commuter traffic is more precisely to South Auckland (Manukau) rather than the CBD Improving longer-range bus links is a quick win; especially as they could be run more frequently than trains There is also a separate question as to the state of our intercity coach links I can’t see how long-range coach links are a ‘quick win’ For them to be effective they would need some pretty decent bus priority on the Southern Motorway corridor This would be neither quick or cheap to build I don’t see how that is any different that what we have already Wow you freight rail folk really moan at the slightest hint of having to do anything slightly different Imagine if the people redesigning and recontracting the entire Auckland bus network had baulked because it would be a long and difficult process Or the ones procuring new EMUs and electrifying the suburban network had said there was a better opportunity to just put some more buses on Or the ones building the busway and bus stations etc etc Urban Auckland is not afraid of making bold plans and getting things done It’ll be the commuters that will moan But I do sit back and repetitively see the experts screw it up Wasting $100m’s of ratepayer and taxpayer money I don’t make these comments for myself or my highly valued opinion on rail passenger operations either Like how I raised many years ago that the platforms in Auckland need to be 9 Now the rail freight slots are screwed Westfield – Pukekohe don’t be fooled by what you read here rail freight gets screwed at KiwiRail because of the agreement Auckland Transport has with Kiwirail Networks(well now all back under kiwirail in the last few months) Which has an unfortunate flow on effect to the southern motorway Now we are having brain farts about an effective inter regional rail network through already existant network(pukekohe – te rapa) that struggles to support freight trains at 80kmph I’m just merely coughing up realistic ideas that will fix and resolves issues a lot faster that we CAN actually afford simply because Hamilton and Tauranga are not big enough and I don’t think rail passenger should take a back seat to rail freight But for crying out loud take a look at the trucks in the bludy road It’s obvious the rail corridor needs to focus on freight to help give us all some well deserved relief… That has a flow on effect for most of the country Running a bus from Hamilton to Drury is an excellent idea In fact I know the idea has circulated within Auckland Transport before That Drury is an excellent place of transfer and could be a very effective method of rapid transport inter regional coach from Hamilton to Drury then xfer to southern line emu This will need overhead wire to Drury and a new decent transfer station right next to a new coach/bus terminal Yes it would need an extension to the overhead If the platform stop was at the north end of Drury there would be no bridge structures intervening with that type of project And it’s a quick on/off from the motorway When the expressway is completed – soon – The travelling time Hamilton to Drury would be near under an hour for a bus I have been giving some thought to the ideal layout of the new Hamilton Station and surrounding track I have included a diagram of my current ideas (link below) This layout would consist of 4 tracks in the station The outer 2 tracks would serve all regional trains operating to/from Tauranga These tracks would also handle all freight trains operating on the ECMT until the Ohinewai – Morrinsville Deviation was constructed The inner 2 tracks would terminate at Hamilton and be used for services operating to/from Te Kuiti as well as services terminating at Hamilton The primary benefit of this design is that passenger trains can operate all planned routes without crossing each other at flat junctions This design would require a flying junction at Frankton a new track under Bryce Street and a second crossing of the Waikato River at the end of Bryce Street I am interested to hear any feedback about how this could be improved/changed https://i.imgur.com/MFyoR4F.png The second crossing of the Waikato would kill the scheme financially – you need to make it work using just the one existing bridge although the second crossing of the river is a long term thing You might find it better to have the terminating tracks on the south side accessible from a third BiDi track from frankton junction it was two tracks from Frankton to Hamilton Central a Hamilton Central with two island platforms and four tracks with the two southernmost joining together to access the existing tunnel and bridge going east In the long run you could add the second tunnel under Bryce Street leading to a duplicate bridge and connect that to the northernmost platforms I had forgotten about that post on the Ohinewai – Morrinsville deviation Definitely could see this needing to be done longer term if rail freight is to be increased to/from Tauranga etc in the future I see in GA RRR report cost for double tracking from Frankton junction/ECMT Lake Road to Cambridge Branch Junction at $63M I guess grade separation is included in this figure it’s not clear or I couldn’t find it If a cheaper variant of option 1 was wanted: stick with the current single underground platform and build sidings for regional train layover decanting etc somewhere on the east side of town but that doesn’t have to be while standing at the platform The few minutes needed to set down and pick up passengers at the Central station could surely be arranged without too much impact on freight schedules providing the train has somewhere offline to do its main layover Option 2 – a central station just far enough away from your bus station to be really unattractive for transfers with luggage – sounds undesirable That’s little more than the length of a train platform It’s been mentioned here and also on other forums A new right of way Ruakura – Ohinewai and also Mercer – Papakura basically following the expressway is the way to go the current in service CAF EMU’s could easily ascend and descend the Bombay on the right alignment(even without a tunnel) They can also go ALOT faster than they currently travel at Has it be considered what a running time would be with this equipment on such a route LS/EXP post extra mainlines Papakura CRL This could also have an effect on a central Hamilton station location I think we need to getaway with the luxury of calling it Regional Rapid Rail to a more realistic term – regional rail network using the existing track by upgrading the route from Papakura to Frankton as double track include double tracking through the Whangamarino swamp and Ngaruawahia Ngaruawahia is targeted to become a satellite town of Hamilton and needs to be connect to the BOP/Waikato regional rail network I still think electrifying Papakura to Frankton is a must and possibility to Tauranga inter-regional and long distance freight and passenger train services enabling EDMU or EBMU’s operations to Tauranga Since Hamilton Central station is still there and depending on what the Waikato Regional Council is going to do with the Kmart Building then use re-activate Hamilton Central Station as part of the Auckland/Hamilton/Tauranga regional service If the plan is not to demolish the Kmart building and the entrance to the station is not available then build a new Hamilton Central Station with 2 platforms with terminal siding at the beginning of the tunnel entrance as Harriet second proposal The Route 8 Frankton bus service can be rerouted via the new station the Route 8 Frankton service connects with the Orbitor bus services All Hamilton suburban bus services have a free 1 hour transfer capability for cash fares and Busit card users The current Frankton Station be upgraded for regional and long distance passenger train services south on the Main Trunk Line I’d love to be able to catch a train from Rotorua to Hamilton and/or Auckland But it’s difficult to see how Rotorua rail could be revived easily for the Regional Rapid Rail from this end of the line The Mamaku – Ngongotaha section is in good order but only because it is under lease to Rail Cruising for tourist purposes The redevelopment of Lake Road into a 4 lane divided road removed the bridge over the rail corridor at what would be a thoroughly inconvenient distance from the CBD to place a station The Mall occupies the site of the old station next to the CBD and K-Mart and Mitre 10 have megastores built over the old rail corridor approaching it … I’m fairly confident that rail could pass under Lake Road again for a modest level of investment rail could continue down the old designation then turn east to run in part of the road reserve on Pukuatua Street with the road narrowed appropriately to accommodate this It only needs moving stacks of lumber from the lumber yards and bowling a holiday park and a childcare centre to realign the rail corridor onto Pukuatua St. Particularly if you want to future proof and make it possible to link Rotorua to Taupo in the south and Te Puke and Tauranga in the north And we’re still stuck with Rail Cruising holding a lease on a large segment of the track Rotorua lost itself any any way to reintroduce rail when it allowed the station to be closed in the late 1980’s It’s not technically impossible to bring rail back to Rotorua they could even have the new station in the same location as the old station and this time dig the line into a trench and have overbridges where the old level crossings were But it would not have a good BCR so Kiwirail would not have a bar of it and fair enough The funding would have to come from public money It would make it a lot more justifiable if the one continued beyond Rotorua and into the timber mill South of Rotorua But any way you look at it: It’s not going to happen for a long time yet and would not be any easy formality How easy is it to divert freight trains along a different path and reinstate the original station if freight trains are the issue Having close proximity to the Hamilton transport Center should be a priority The rail link to other parts of wider Hamilton is a good idea but this could also be on a bus link to start with Access to from the transport center to train could be tunneled out as looks like warehouse have put a floating floor over existing station Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Greater Auckland is an independent volunteer-run analysis and advocacy platform for improving the quality of our cities we provide evidence based debate on urban form Our aim is to foster a greater Auckland for all Thanks for signing up for news from Greater Auckland Keep an eye on your inbox for regular updates We love being able to keep you in the loop - it means we know theres a community of like-minded people who are keen on making Auckland better on bikes Sign up for updates about what's happening The $250 million upgrade of Queenstown’s BP roundabout and connecting roads remains on time and budget With the four-year project about to enter its second year The project team would then begin work on constructing the new intersection itself "This will inevitably bring some disruption to traffic as the configuration of the traffic lanes move the project is aimed at easing the junction’s chronic congestion — more than 40,000 vehicles pass through it each day at peak times The existing roundabout will be replaced with a signalled intersection while signals will also be added at the nearby intersection of State Highway 6 with Hansen Rd and Joe O’Connell Dr — the latter easing entry and exit at the Queenstown Events Centre — while the Frankton bus hub will be doubled in size The work also includes the installation of a roundabout at the dangerous Ladies Mile/Howards Dr intersection The entire project remains on track for completion in the winter of 2028 "We encourage locals to sign up to receive work notices that outline the days time and duration of specific pieces of work that may cause disruption." was developed by Queenstown-based couple Di and Lindsay Williams who were also behind the development of the Terrace Junction complex was sold at auction by the couple last year The Williams' purchased the site for The Landing from Shotover Park owned by the Porter brothers - the first store opened its doors in December 2014 The 3160sq m of retail space subsequently developed is spread over three separate buildings Official land registry records show the last official sale price was $5.65 million in 2013 while the latest rating valuation is $22.7 million which had a 100% new buildings standards rating was being marketed for sale by Bayleys Queenstown through expressions of interest said the tenancies had a weighted average lease term of almost four years ``Diversity of non-competing businesses .. combined with a long-term tenancy schedule ensures this is an attractive split-risk investment opportunity,'' Mr Gubb said Mr Kirk said the Remarkables Park area surrounding The Landing was experiencing ``considerable growth'' from ongoing construction activity and the shopping centre held a ``strategic long-term position in this booming retail part of Queenstown'' Development in the area included the recently-completed Ramada Hotel 127-apartment Wyndham Garden Hotel and new Wakatipu High School; the under-construction 230-unit Toru Apartments and the new Ramada Kawarau River Hotel and Apartments A resource consent application was also lodged in January for a 46ha subdivision at Remarkables Park enabling a mixed-use development to incorporate mixed-density residential development tourist accommodation and leisure activities Jasmax is shortlisted in the planning and urban design category for the revitalisation of four blocks of George St new garden beds and a new layout that prioritises pedestrians Other major projects selected by the awards jury include Te Kāika Wellbeing Hub and the Trinity Catholic College music and art suites both by McCoy and Wixon Architects; the Lakes District Museum by Origin Heritage; the Port Otago head office by GHD Design Kieran Cooper and Rose Evans; the Frankton Junction carpark by Mason & Wales Architects; and O’Connells by McAuliffe Stevens a statement from Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects said two Otago homes have been recognised in HOME magazine’s 2025 Home of the Year awards The Green Home of the Year was "Moonlight Tui Compound" by Team Green Architects The judges said the high-performance home was built on a difficult site and a tight budget: "It shows an innate understanding of the relationship between the architecture and elements while not compromising on moments of beauty." An aerial view of the Terrace Junction office and retail centre in Frankton The Terrace Junction office and retail centre in Frankton just outside Queenstown has been placed on the market for sale at a time when the resort town's property market is experiencing an extended period of growth on the Frankton roundabout at 1088-1092 Frankton Rd is being marketed for sale by tenders closing on May 31 through Colliers International's brokers Mark Simpson and Rory O'Donnell "The multi-tenanted complex opened in 2009 on a high-profile site adjacent to the BP station on the main road into and out of Queenstown," says Simpson "This is a strategic asset offering buyers a sought-after diversified income stream from multiple office "The property has exceptional exposure from State highway 6 and Frankton Rd which captures the largest proportion of traffic into and out of the airport and central Queenstown and will be considered a trophy asset among buyers." 6175sq m complex is anchored by Westpac and Burger King both of which were founding tenants in the development with around 40 tenants generating total current annual net income of $1,411,399 a year "This sale presents is an opportunity to acquire a quality diverse commercial asset in the high-growth and tightly held Queenstown market," says Simpson "We see Terrace Junction as a very attractive offering for commercial investors looking for a high profile and well located asset with great street appeal car parking and established tenants in place It also offers investors the opportunity to buy in the tightly-held Queenstown market at a comparatively higher yield than the Queenstown central business district," Simpson says "Owners rarely let go of larger commercial properties in Queenstown and buying opportunities are rare so for buyers looking to enter Queenstown Commercial market The location midway between the CBD and Frankton Flats is strategic with the Frankton Flats area rapidly developing into a major commercial hub for the Queenstown Lakes and wider Central Otago region." The complex is made up of two buildings with lift access to a basement car park It covers two separate freehold titles comprising a total of 8752sq m of land which is the busiest service station in Queenstown gives the complex an exceptionally high profile," O'Donnell says "This location means the centre also conveniently serves nearby residential areas including Shotover Country as well as large numbers of airport passengers," he says The Queenstown Lakes region now has over 2.9 million visitors each year with over half of them arriving through Queenstown Airport The average day population in the Queenstown Lakes district (including residents and visitors) is now at 48,000 (97,000 average peak day population) a figure which Queenstown Lakes District Council predicts will increase to 57,000 by 2025 "These extremely strong population and tourism growth and projection trends are providing a major driver for the Queenstown property market with very high demand and restricted supply characterising all sectors of the market We expect these conditions to continue into the medium term," O'Donnell says Rare plot of land is home to ancient kauri trees An 11km stretch of State Highway 6 between Frankton and Arrow Junction is on a list of 10 regional highways the AA would like the Government to spend more money on in order to improve safety crashes on the road resulted in one fatality AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon said it was calling on transport agencies to commit to upgrades that would lift 150km of two-star rated national and regional roads to three-star every year but the consequences of those mistakes will be less.'' The stretch of SH6 on its list was ``heavily trafficked'' Although the NZ Transport Agency was focused on improving key routes in Wakatipu ``I think everyone's been a little caught out by the growth ``There's been a lot of focus in the last few years on our big motorways but we've got some rural roads which we don't think are up to the mark.'' Ranging from five stars for the safest roads to one star for the least safe the road safety ratings used by the AA are determined by factors such as the width of lanes and shoulders Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult lives about halfway along the stretch of highway on the AA's list Mr Boult said emergency service vehicles often rushed past his house and his first thought was always that there had been a crash Traffic on the area's main roads had increased by about 45% in the past three years and the council had been advocating for improvements for some time that level of growth has been something of a surprise ``I'm heartened by some work that NZTA's done There is now a general buy-in to fixing the road at the Frankton end.'' The speed limit between the Stalker Rd roundabout and Frankton had been reduced to 80kmh earlier this year and he hoped that improvements to the Tuckers Beach Rd intersection would start by the end of the year the most dangerous regional highway in New Zealand is SH22 from Drury to Pukekohe 19 serious injuries and 44 minor injuries in crashes on the road between 2012 and last year Forty percent of New Zealand's highways have a two-star safety rating The roads feature several hazards including ditches alongside them and narrow shoulders The Otago Region's SH6 from Frankton to Arrow Junction in the Queenstown-Lakes District was on the list after one person died 10 were seriously injured and 37 received minor injuries over a five-year period This was the only State Highway in the South Island included in the list of ten most dangerous roads The worst - over a five year-period ending last year - was SH22 from Drury to Pukekohe 19 were seriously injuried and 44 people suffered minor injuries The "unforgiving" highways had risks most drivers did not see AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon told Fairfax the outcomes are extremely severe," he said "You make the same mistake on our better-engineered roads Much work had been done on main highways but more was needed on rural roads which were often used by tourists The AA released the following list of New Zealand's most dangerous roads to Fairfax: State Highway 22 from Drury to Pukekohe: three deaths SH58 from Pauatahanui to Upper Hutt: 2 deaths SH3 from Palmerston North to Ashhurst: 2 deaths SH3 from New Plymouth to Inglewood: 1 death SH2 from Featherston to Maoribank: 3 deaths SH6 from Frankton to Arrow Junction: 1 death SH1N from Kawakawa to Springs Flat: 14 deaths This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Lakes Marina Projects Ltd (LMP) was recently granted consent from the Queenstown Lakes District and Otago Regional councils The appeals could delay construction of the marina by more than a year a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and LMP director says there is no chance he will walk away from the project ''We won't let something like this derail us,'' Mr Barabi said they're wasting everyone's time and money but it's their prerogative but business-wise we look at the big picture of how much work we've done how committed we are to Queenstown and this project Former racing driver and ex-Mataura mayor Ian ''Inky'' Tulloch and wife Annette have appealed as have Benchmark Homes owners Richard and Natasha Evans Both the Evanses and Tullochs own homes by the marina They believe the adverse effects on the environment are more than minor and the development is contrary to the objectives of the Queenstown council's district plan and Otago Regional Council's regional plan They also said there had been insufficient information about noise effects of the proposed dredging of the lake bed traffic effects on the Sugar Lane/Frankton Rd junction and the possible use of land for fabrication of marina parts They wanted conditions imposed or existing conditions varied Mr Barbari said the objections were unfortunate ''We were hoping we would be able to move quickly and start construction of the marina in four to six months ''If we thought this was going to have a negative impact on Queenstown we wouldn't do it.'' Queenstown man Alan Kirker - part of the LMP consortium which also includes Mr Barabi's brother Nasser - said 88 concessions had already been made to address concerns ''It's been four years of work and talking to the community ''This is about providing a community asset at no cost to the community.'' The 195-berth marina at Frankton Arm is expected to be built in two stages The fast food drive-through and restaurant officially opens today but the latest business in Terrace Junction has been trading since Monday and is proving popular About 1500 customers were served on the first day alone and Hawaiian chicken burgers and whopper burgers were the menu items most in demand Burger King area manager Crede Marshall said the buzz had been growing around town for the previous week and the demand had been greater than expected Mr Marshall said the company was "not concerned at all" about the prospect of a McDonald's setting up shop across the road McDonald's lodged a resource consent application for a 139-seat restaurant and McCafe incorporating a drive-through and children's "playland" the application is on hold at Lakes Environmental as Mobil needs to submit a variation of its site plan to accommodate the proposed fast-food complex Queenstown resident Elton Walther was treating son Micah (4) to lunch at Burger King when the Queenstown Times visited "It's just a different choice to McDonald's," Mr Walther said "Burger King was here years ago and it's good to see them back." American tourists Roxanne and Tom Zavodsky stopped in for a taste of home yesterday during their two-week tour of New Zealand having spent two months in Australia They said the food and service in Frankton was just the same as in the United States New research has revealed the UK’s most scenic navigable artificial waterways with three canals in Wales making the coveted top 10 When it comes to man-made waterways the UK packs a hefty punch Originally built as an efficient way to transport goods and raw materials today the canals of the UK offer vital access to green and blue spaces and some of the most scenic and impressive sights The research from Roam And Roost has revealed the UK’s most scenic canals and with so many canals spread  from the Highlands of Scotland to the south of England there are plenty of picturesque canals to visit for walkers The highest Welsh entry in the top ten is the charming Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal which comes in at a respectable number 5 against every other canal in the UK The ‘Mon & Brec’ winds its way almost exclusively through the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Isolated from the rest of the Inland Waterways system it maintains a peaceful character as it follows the Usk Valley Originally two separate canals – the Monmouthshire Canal and the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal it was built to tap the mineral wealth of the area it’s difficult to imagine it was once a busy industrial corridor for coal and iron much of the Montgomery Canal is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest Running 33 miles from the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Junction to Newtown in Powys The canal fell into disuse following a breach in 1936 however restoration by various parties including Shropshire Union Canal Society Canal & River Trust and Waterway Recovery Group starting with a “Big Dig” in Welshpool in 1969 means the canal is now navigable from the Llangollen Canal to Crickheath and accessible by towpath all the way to Newtown and a great option for wildlife and nature enthusiasts Llangollen Canal is the final entry from Wales in the top ten Telford’s second cast-iron trough aqueduct his first being Longdon-on-Tern Aqueduct which proved to be an ideal test-bed providing much of the knowhow to build Poncysyllte which would become and still is the longest aqueduct in Great Britain and the highest canal aqueduct in the world The Llangollen canal is one of the most popular narrowboat holiday destinations in the UK and with the world famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and nearby Chirk Aqueduct An 18-arched stone and cast iron structure spanning the River Dee at a major feat of engineering and today rightly recognised with the 18 kilometre UNESCO world heritage site there is more to the Llangollen Canal than the aqueducts alone The canal passes though the ancient peatlands of Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses the Meres of Ellesmere and some of the most scenic canal views as you head along the Welsh section towards Llangollen which in itself is a popular visitor attraction James Anelay from canalboatholidays.co.uk said: “The UK undoubtedly has some of the best canals in the world Allthough currently in need of further funding “Today canalside towpaths are a fantastic asset and on the doorstep of millions of people throughout the UK “I hope this list inspires people to search for their local canals and get outside and enjoy them.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Connect with Nation.Cymru on Facebook and Twitter If you would like to donate to help keep Nation.Cymru running then you just need to click on the box below it will open a pop up window that will allow you to pay using your credit / debit card or paypal Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018 In 2017 Nation.Cymru was launched after raising £5000 from a crowdfunding campaign Today it is one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK attracting over 1.5 million visitors a month We are not backed by billionaire owners or hidden behind a paywall but we depend on our readers' support to continue our work If everyone who visited the site over the course of a month donated at least £1 we would have enough funding for the next eight years To guarantee our future please consider making a donation today. More than 100 miles of roadway across Shropshire will be resurfaced in over the next few months The 37 individual resurfacing projects - covering 115 miles - will be carried in all areas of the county as Shropshire Council continues its programme of work to improve the road network The annual resurfacing programme is put together based on regular inspections and annual surveys of the county’s roads This year’s programme includes seven roads in central Shropshire Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for highways said: “We’re committed to improving our roads and making them safer for all road users Our annual resurfacing programme is an important part of this It will greatly improve nearly 200km of roads and help to prevent problems occurring in the future and means we won’t have to spend as much time on smaller repairs “I thank people for their patience and understanding while this important work is carried out.” Work will be carried out by Shropshire Council’s contractor In Shrewsbury work will include Abbey Foregate Shrewsbury and the Bicton Heath Roundabout on the Welshpool Roads and Grange Farm junction to Preston Gubbals are also in the programme of work North Shropshire roads include: Halfway House to Westbury; Northwood to Ellesmere road, Wem; A41 Chester Road roundabout to Hinton bank roundabout, Whitchurch; Burlton crossroads to English Frankton junction Oswestry stretches include Castle Street, Shrewsbury Road and Vyrnwy Road in the town; Chirk Road, Gobowen; Little London Lane Trefonen; Morda junction Trefonen road-start of 60mph Others are: A442 Telford Road rural section, Bridgnorth; A5 Pickmere roundabout to B5314 junction Crackleybank; B4194 Sweveneys junction to Clogs Bank Buttonbridge; B4363 from A4117 to Kinlet Bank Neen Savage; B4363 from junction with B4555 to start 40mph Kemberton; Heathton from Claverley to Six Ashes Road Stottesdon; A456 Wooferton to Gosford and B4362 Station Road Wooferton Thirty-seven stretches of road across Shropshire as Shropshire Council continues its programme of work to improve the county’s roads The resurfacing work will be carried out in the north roads that are likely to need costly repairs in the future are prioritised “We’re committed to improving our roads and making them safer for all road users For more information, go to www.shropshire.gov.uk/highways Meanwhile, more than 50 stretches of road across Shropshire are being treated as part of Shropshire Council’s annual surface dressing programme The work covers approximately 819,000 square metres of road The stretches of road to be resurfaced in this year’s programme are: Buildwas Grange Farm junction to Preston Gubbals North area                                                                                     Wem A41 Chester Road roundabout to Hinton bank roundabout Whitchurch Burlton crossroads to English Frankton junction Trefonen Morda junction Trefonen road-start of 60mph Bridgnorth A5 Pickmere roundabout to B5314 junction Crackleybank B4194 Sweveneys junction to Clogs Bank Buttonbridge B4363 from A4117 to Kinlet Bank Neen Savage B4363 from junction with B4555 to start 40mph Kemberton Heathton from Claverley to Six Ashes Road