Table of Contents
Transport officials weighed up the government’s stance on te reo when deciding against Māori language names for Auckland’s new City Rail Link (CRL) train lines.
[…] Documents obtained by 1News reveal the naming – finalised mid-last year – stretched across three years and five different approaches before narrowing to an eventual showdown between te reo bird names and directional labels.
The names settled on after extensive debate were: Onehunga West Line (O-W), East West Line (E-W), and the South City Line (S-C).
Auckland Transport (AT) said potential customer confusion was the main reason for its decision to go with the geographic names.
So now they get it that no one wants to ride a train where the destination is in some mythical place called Aotearoa. It’s not like everyone apart from sickly white liberals has been complaining about it for years.
A spokesperson for AT said: “The directional line names met customer needs better than other options, including the bird names. This was the key reason for the decision.
“Although cultural considerations, including the use of te reo Māori, were acknowledged, the overriding priority was customer comprehension and uptake in a newly integrated network where new travel patterns and options for travel will be implemented.”
To be fair though I did kind of like “Tūī” as one of the names, as in:
‘Hey, all the trains are working today!’
– Tūī.
‘Yes, that one too!’
[…] The final set of te reo names considered included the Mātātā line replacing the Eastern and Western lines, which will become known as the East-West line.
Meanwhile, the South-City line was picked over the Tūī line, which replaces the Southern line. The Hīhī line would have replaced the Onehunga line. Naming a line after the kuaka was also kept as an alternative option if others were deemed unworkable.
But directional names were seen as lower risk, keeping within timing requirements and needing less customer education, though internal documents noted reputational risk of a “missed opportunity” and public scrutiny.
D’uh.
The three new rail lines will carry geographic names and two-letter codes.
AT said the letter codes – “E-W” for East-West, “O-W” for Onehunga-West, and “S-C” for South-City – will be prominently displayed on maps and station signage.
Transport officials considered a range of naming options.
[…] The decision was finalised by the CRL’s programme control group, made up of executives and senior managers who oversee all works involved to launch services.
But wait, the comedy hasn’t ended yet.
Shorthand abbreviations for the new lines – “EW”, “OW” and “SC” – were changed after an urgent memo last June raised concerns they could be misinterpreted and subject to “backlash or mockery” from customers and media.
“Specifically, EW could be interpreted as ‘ew’ (gross) and OW as ‘ow’ (ouch),” it read.
“Internal feedback and advice from external consultants have raised concerns … We seek your expert assessment on the risks associated with each option of customer or media backlash or mockery.”
Bwahaha! OW! My sides!
So now all AT is concerned about is being mocked. It’s not like they were ever concerned about small businesses going under because of parking spaces being replaced with bike lanes.
[…] Transport officials had sought out advice on naming the train lines and also carried out panels and focus group research into what Aucklanders thought of the choices.
Of course I can’t end this without a reminder of where your tax money is going.
Naming research cost a total of $18,736 – comprising $11,035 in capitalised time and $7700 in participant recruitment – according to AT.
Please feel free to put Auckland Transport jokes in the comments.
