Metlink’s route 290 to reservice Te Horo and Peka Peka
Route 290 passengers will soon be able to board and alight services in Te Horo and Peka Peka following approval from Waka Kotahi to install interim bus stops on Peka Peka Link Road and Old SH1 near the old School Road junction.
Scheduled for completion on 12 November, the stops will enable Route 290 buses to stop on the old State Highway (SH1) once more. Services on SH1 were discontinued in 2015 when high volumes of traffic deemed the bus stops unsafe.
Metlink Group Manager Samantha Gain says the Council was told to wait for the Kāpiti Expressway to open, whereby traffic volumes would reduce enough to re-establish bus stops.
“While Metlink has been running buses on the expressway since it opened in December 2022, we’ve been working with Waka Kotahi and Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC) to gain the approvals needed to install temporary stops along the previous route,” Ms Gain says.
“We’ve been advised that permanent stops won’t be completed until 2024. We understand and appreciate the frustration felt by the local community, who’ve been waiting patiently for their bus service to return.
“Metlink always intended to reintroduce stops in Te Horo and Peka Peka and officers have worked hard with all parties to ensure these temporary stops are in place for passengers,” Ms Gain says.
Key to this work is the transfer of the road to KCDC, known as ‘revocation’. Waka Kotahi must also be happy that the road maintains the same function and meets the safety standards of other local, redesignated roads.
The stops, which will be marked with clear signage and provide a designated space for waiting passengers, will allow Metlink to resume services, while the remainder of the revocation process is carried out.
Passengers are advised that Waka Kotahi are resurfacing a section of the road where the new stops will go. While due to finish on 9-10 November, customers will be updated if it affects the start date for route 290 services using the new stops.