Kapiti Coast Pushes Ahead With New Services

Changes are afoot on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington which should help the local economy and potentially real estate values in the area.

Roading - The New Zealand Transport Agency NZTA is reportedly buying up land between Peka Peka (north of Waikanae) and Otaki for the new expressway. The government last year announced that the road link between Levin and Wellington was of national significance and that an expressway would be built on the land designated for the Western Link Road to improve traffic flows through the Kapiti Coast.

Rail - Work is nearing completion (2011) on the upgrade to train services to and from the Kapiti Coast. This includes more double tracking to improve the frequency of service and the extension of the rail service to Waikanae. KiwiRail planned to complete the $90 million upgrade to double track and electrify the railway line to Waikanae in 2011.

Paraparaumu Airport - Major improvements are afoot in central Paraparaumu with a new Mitre 10 Megastore planned to open later this year. This is the first development in the new business park project planned for the airport land. Upgrades to the runway have already been done.

These changes are all significant and could prove to be a much needed boost to the local economy over the coming years.