Apart from the illogic of superimposing this light rail line on existing roads full of vehicles, such an enterprise is at $3 billion cripplingly expensive compared with the Puhinui option.
Furthermore, when the essence of any proposed public-transport system is speed from the airport into town, these trams will crawl along with scores of stops and traffic lights.
I anticipate it will take at least 90 minutes just one way. No arriving or departing air passengers will want their journey to be that long. In addition, these airport passengers cannot ride on a separate specialised tram offering a more express service than ordinary commuter trams because plainly their vehicles cannot overtake the slower trams.
Puhinui is the only viable option. This route, running from a sub-surface station between the domestic and international terminals east to Puhinui, is flat and runs mostly through countryside, followed by a bit of light industrial land to reach the existing Southern rail line north of the Manukau City spur.
As well as running directly north to the city centre, trains leaving Puhinui can link to the Western Line, the Eastern Line and run south to Pukekohe.
There is room west of the present Puhinui rail station to construct a loop for airport trams to stop and create a simple cross-platform move for the passengers and their luggage to get on board trains to the city. Their journey will be quicker with fewer stops. The total cost will be very much lower and a completion date will be far sooner.
If political parties really want to add a policy that will make a practical difference for Auckland, it should be to speed up the completion of the Central Rail Link from its present rather leisurely pace. That's the best, cheapest and most efficient way to get public transport transformed expeditiously.
Present plans mean it will take six more years from now to have the CRL up and running - and they have already been working on it for a year.
I think at least a year or even 18 months can be realistically shaved off that target. Work seven days per week and don't leave construction sites idle over the weekend. Minimise disruption to the Albert St area.
Bring forward the start dates for the mining and boring of the tunnels between Mt Eden and the Aotea station.
As plans stand today the existing Mt Eden station is to be closed for three years. That of course means there will be no stop at all for passengers for all those three years between Kingsland and Grafton. This is not satisfactory.
Overseas such projects work at a much faster pace every day of the week and the goal is achieved earlier. Extension work on the underground Metro Purple Line in Los Angeles has stations and tunnels being worked on all at once. We need that too. What we don't need is to wait six more years - and that's not counting the sort of six-month delay shemozzle of the Waterview tunnels.
• Dr Brian McDonnell works at Massey University's Albany campus and previously taught urban geography and transport.
