Commuter trains would run between Rolleston, Rangiora and central Christchurch under a New Zealand First election promise, with the party also pledging to bring back the Southerner passenger service to Dunedin and Invercargill.

The party wants a 12 month trial of commuter rail in Canterbury on existing railway lines, with trains stopping near Colombo Street in the central city.

It says the trip from Rolleston could be cut to around 20 minutes, compared with road journeys of up to 50 minutes at busy times.

The announcement comes as party leader Winston Peters visits Christchurch, where he is due to address a public meeting at Christchurch Town Hall this afternoon.

The trial would test whether there was enough demand to justify a permanent network, the party said.

“A permanent commuter railway can’t be built on wishful thinking. It needs passengers, it needs to make economic sense, and it needs to demonstrate that Cantabrians actually want it.”

Hundreds of daily passengers could build the case for more services, stations and investment, the party said.

“We are not proposing to spend years and millions of dollars studying whether Cantabrians might catch a train. We are proposing to put the trains on and find out.”

The announcement does not say what the trial would cost, how often trains would run or when services would start.

The Southerner ran between Christchurch and Invercargill via Dunedin for more than 31 years before it was scrapped in February 2002 because of falling passenger numbers and doubts over its finances.

New Zealand First wants to reach a commercially viable deal with the operators of the Mainlander, which already runs selected journeys between Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, to put more trains on between South Island cities and towns.

Commuter rail has been debated in Greater Christchurch for years.

An earlier transport assessment found rail between Rolleston and Rangiora could play a role in the region’s future, but concluded better bus services offered more value in the short to medium term.

Environment Canterbury agreed in 2025 to work with KiwiRail on exploring a business case for passenger rail on the corridor.

The future of the service would come down to demand, the party said.

“We will put the trains on. The rest is up to Canterbury.”