The Hamilton to Auckland rail connection is back in the news for all the wrong reasons. 

The Te Huia service has been banned from entering the Auckland metro area after the driver ran red lights.  The service has been forced to terminate at Papakura while KiwiRail fits new safety technology on the train. 

It comes just weeks after a new report was released encouraging more investment in regional rail in the North Island. But if this one service is still having basic woes two years into its operation, what hope is there for other networks? 

To address these concerns, Damien is joined by consultant Roger Blakeley, who recently chaired the Future is Rail conference, to discuss the challenges facing rail.

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Damien Venuto
Producer: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.