Fare increases for Te Huia as trial extends to 2027

Passengers travelling on the Te Huia train service will have a fare increase from Monday, September 28.

The Waikato Regional Council announced a 25% increase on the current prices in early June, with a vote of 12-2 in favour.

The new price for an adult one way trip for the train, which runs between Hamilton and Auckland, will be approximately $30, up from the current price of $24.06.

Council Chair Warren Maher said councillors were concerned about managing fuel costs without affecting ratepayers. 

“We don’t want to ask ratepayers to pay more, so increasing passenger revenue is our only real option given that our other revenue sources for the rest of the trial are set.” 

The Waikato Regional Council voted in February to extend the Te Huia trial until June 30, 2027. This followed a decision by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to support a 12 month extension of Te Huia with 60% central government funding.

Following the February meeting, council requested three fare increase options be presented by council staff in May. These were, no change, a 10 per cent increase, and the 25 per cent increase, with the larger option selected.

An earlier amended resolution to increase fares to 60% was voted down 11 to 3.

Waikato Regional Council Chair Warren Maher said the extension of the service would give Te Huia time to prove its success.

The service had a total number of 7369 passengers in June 2026, the same month the service was originally set to close. The amount is an increase from June 2025 by 2273 passengers.

“While the service is generally tracking well against its performance measures, councillors agree that it’s critically important for Te Huia passenger numbers to grow.”

The Te Huia service was first introduced to the public on April 6th in 2021.

For more information you can visit their website.