Transport funding was announced yesterday. It includes money for rail and the Ōtaki to North of Levin section of SH1:
The Government announced funding for four major rail projects on Wednesday [29 January 2020] as part of a $12 billion infrastructure package. One of the projects includes the Capital Connection commuter route, which runs between Palmerston North and Wellington on week days.
There is $211 million for improvements to the Wellington, Wairarapa and Palmerston North rail network and beyond, including upgraded tracks for the Wairarapa and Capital Connection lines, safety connections and refurbishment of Capital Connection carriages.…
Transport minister Phil Twyford said the Capital Connection provided a valuable service, which people wanted. … the money would cover carriage refurbishment, as well as new yards for carriages at Levin, Wellington and Masterton.
There will also be new passing and signalling infrastructure.
Source: Funding boost keeps Capital Connection service on track | Stuff.co.nz.
The road was mentioned briefly:
Four-laning SH1 from Otaki to North of Levin. …Improvements to rail line between Wellington, Wairarapa and Palmerston North
Source: Project-by-project: Where the $12b infrastructure package will be spent around NZ | Stuff.co.nz.
But work won’t be immediate:
Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett said the Otaki to Levin upgrade, for instance, was not scheduled to be completed until 2029 – which was too long to wait.
He said there was no reason why work on vital arterial roads could not be done sooner with workforce planning and more flexible immigration controls.
Source: Govt’s $12b infrastructure spend: Rail, roads and DHBs the big winners | RNZ News.