But the real critics are beleaguered every-day Aucklanders who are forced to rely on the city’s woeful public transport services to get to and from their places of work. I get it. Operating a complex network of trains and buses ferrying armies of angry jafas to their respective haunts is no mean feat. It’s an exercise in military-like precision that takes cutting edge technology backed by an array of highly-trained experts handpicked for their unique skills and capabilities. Why then would these gifted individuals deem it wise to can the entire network of Auckland trains for the duration of the April school holidays? The argument proffered by AT brass is that essential maintenance is needed in preparation for the long-awaited City Rail Link. The two-week hiatus is among a catalogue of train service cancellations and disruptions forecast for the year ahead. In 2026, AT promises to “bring back more frequent and reliable trains”. But where do they think Auckland’s loyal train commuters have disappeared to en masse these holidays? Do they think we all have Pacific island bolt holes which we flee to during the school recess? Do they assume we are all jet-setting to Europe to take in the Seine River and Mediterranean coast? What alternate realities are our comrades in AT’s head office inhabiting while the great proletariat get on with real life? And so it was that I headed to the Herald’s CBD office this week from the forested slopes of Titirangi in the city’s west. Generally I take the train, but on Monday I opted for the car. On a good day - off-peak with no traffic - it’s 20 minutes in my beat up Suzuki Swift door-to-door. But day one of the holidays - usually a congestion-free breeze - was a very different story. It was clear as I drove down Tirirangi Rd at 7am that half the city had ditched public transport and jumped behind the wheel. Roads that were usually reasonably free-flowing at this time of the morning were jammed with cars. Great North Rd was a shambles. The Northwestern was a complete balls up. Punters who would normally take the train had clearly ditched their HOP card and instead climbed behind the wheel. With my residual Scorpio short fuse, I arrived at work thoroughly pissed off and cursing the AT boffins who had cancelled the city’s trains. However, a glorious morning dawned the next day and I rose with renewed optimism and faith in our city leaders. Today I would try the rail replacement bus. How bad could it be? If a 40-minute return trip by car is the off-peak benchmark, three-and-a-half torturous hours by rush-hour bus was a swift kick to the groin. The morning commute was slow but the evening crawl home was even worse. What would usually be a 38-minute one-way train trip turned into a 1 hour, 45 minute journey into hell. I don’t blame the bus driver. Thrown to the wolves by her bosses, she was endearing in the face of a hostile mob. But I do blame the city’s transport execs for subjecting Auckland commuters to a third world service in what is supposed to be a first world international destination. I can only guess how much worse things will get today and tomorrow as the great storm bears down on our fare city. I, along with thousands of others, won’t be braving public transport again for the next two weeks. I’ll be adding to the congestion of Auckland’s already choked roads. If AT is serious about getting people onto buses and trains, it needs to stop scoring own goals. The train network is an essential transport link for the city. Cutting it off has real world ramifications for Aucklanders, not to mention for productivity and the city’s reputation. AT says it’s listening. Can it hear a city grinding to a halt? Lane Nichols is Auckland desk editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.