Mount Eden City Rail Link Station under construction. CRL bosses have signalled a rise in the price of the project, which A-G John Ryan has called "the country's largest and costliest transport infrastructure projects ever". Photo / Michael Craig
Mount Eden City Rail Link Station under construction. CRL bosses have signalled a rise in the price of the project, which A-G John Ryan has called "the country's largest and costliest transport infrastructure projects ever". Photo / Michael Craig
A cost blowout on Auckland's $4.4 billion City Rail Link should not be kept under wraps until after the local body elections, says mayoral candidate Wayne Brown.
The engineer is calling for City Rail Link Ltd to come clean about the finances of the 3.4km twin underground rail tunnel expected to transform the city's rail network.
As far back as June last year, CRL bosses have signalled a rise in the price of the project, which Auditor-General John Ryan has called "the country's largest and costliest transport infrastructure projects ever".
Auckland Mayoral candidate Wayne Brown wants the CRL books to be opened before the elections. Photo / Dean Purcell
Said Brown: "It's time for some honesty. The public needs to know if there is a large bill from CRL that will be left sitting in the new mayor's in-tray."
Brown, who is standing on a platform to "Fix Auckland" and get projects like the CRL back on track, also wants to know when the first trains will run through the twin tunnels between Britomart and Mt Eden stations.
He was also concerned at reports released by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi showing most of the Government's NZ Upgrade transport package contains significant risks and may not be delivered on time and on budget.
The City Rail Link is making progress towards a 2025 completion date but the cost is expected to rise. Photo / Supplied
The $12b-plus package contains a number of big projects in Auckland, including the Penlink road connecting the Whangaparaoa Peninsula to SH1, widening of the Southern Motorway from Papakura to Drury and upgrading Mill Rd that runs parallel to the Southern Motorway between Manukau and Drury.
"This is a significant concern since half of the extra cost of the CRL will fall on ratepayers," said Brown.
Auckland Council and the Government are sharing the cost of the CRL.
A spokesman for CRL Ltd said the body set up to deliver the project remains on target to make an announcement on costs and timetable at the end of the year.
He said CRL Ltd is not yet in a position to tell the council and the Government how much additional funding will be required.
CRL Ltd is working through a claim from the Link Alliance, which is responsible for delivering the main works, for Covid-related matters. Once the claim has been worked through and approved by the CRL Ltd board, it will be presented to the council and the Government.
Mayoral candidate Efeso Collins said the council has been made aware of cost increases, saying he supported the release of the new figures as and when they are available "rather than just trying to score political points".
Another mayoral candidate, Viv Beck, said she had consistently raised concerns about the lack of transparency on the CRL project.
"There is also no clarity around the ongoing operational costs once the project is finally completed, which is a further risk to ratepayers," she said.
Independent media operator and mayoral candidate Craig Lord said every operation of council should have open books.
"The majority of Auckland residents would already know that it's over budget and late, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that," he said.
Meanwhile, in an unusual move, Auckland Council has offered the four leading mayoral candidates - Collins, Brown, Beck and Lord - a site visit and briefing on the CRL project.
Council director of infrastructure and environmental services Barry Potter said the new governing body of mayor and councillors will need to get to work quickly after the election and the visit offers an incoming mayor the opportunity to hit the ground running.
The briefing on September 8 will cover general background, the current phase and a walk around the Mt Eden site. It will not cover confidential information, Potter said.
He said Lord has accepted the invitation and Brown has declined. Collins and Beck have still to respond.
Potter, CRL chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney, council chief finance officer Peter Gudsell and governance director Phil Wilson make up a high-powered group of executives to conduct the briefing.
