Editorial: Council needs to forget rail link fears and get on with it

Mayor Len Brown. Photo / Sarah Ivey

With half an eye on their re-election prospects, some Auckland councillors are having second thoughts about an early start to the City Rail Link. Their reservations are prompted by the $2.4 billion project's perceived effect on rates, debt and big cuts to community services. That concern may lead to it being shelved until 2020 when the council's 10-year budget is debated tomorrow. Such an outcome would be unfortunate. As much as the councillors have reason for apprehension, a more compelling case can be made for starting the project in 2016.

The Mayor, Len Brown, has locked $2.2 billion into the budget to begin work on the 3.5km underground link from Britomart to Mt Eden at that time. He envisages it being completed in 2021.

The Government has agreed to fund half the project but will not commit the money until 2020 unless rail patronage and inner-city employment targets are met. The wavering councillors want to wait until the Government comes on board, which would ease the pressure on rates and negate the need for at least some of the cuts proposed for community projects, parks and local works.

This approach disregards several important factors. First, it pays insufficient heed to the importance of the rail link. That has grown with the proposal to tackle the woes faced daily by Auckland drivers through a toll on the city's motorways or, more feasibly, the introduction of congestion charging. Such impositions are fair only if motorists have the alternative of efficient and inexpensive public transport.

The City Rail Link is a critical player in this. Once trains run in a circle, rather than terminate at Britomart, the full potential of all the city's rail lines can be unlocked. Services should become more frequent and reliable, and the network will have the capacity to grow.

Ideally, a start on the project would not be made until the full plan was finalised, financial commitments were in place, and there was a reasonable certainty that it would be completed. But an early start also has its advantages. It will place pressure on the Government to bring forward its commitment. Already, that is rising thanks to record-high rail patronage spurred by improved facilities and the city's new electric trains. An early start would also enable the Downtown Shopping Centre redevelopment, which is due to start in 2016.

It is important, also, that the councillors do not pick on the City Rail Link simply because of its huge cost. There are other ways for the council to relieve the pressure on rates and ease the need for substantial cuts to community projects and the like. Aucklanders do not want to see their parks overgrown, or an end to the festivals and events that bind them together. To ensure that does not happen, they would be happy to see the sale of some of the council's commercial enterprises, such as its carparking buildings. The council should also be driving harder bargains with its suppliers, as well assessing the staffing levels and efficiencies of all aspects of its operation.

Labour councillor Ross Clow has accused Mr Brown of gutting suburban centres such as Avondale in favour of "pet projects" like the City Rail Link.

Aucklanders, however, showed they shared the Mayor's enthusiasm for the link when they re-elected him. There is nothing to suggest this sentiment has waned. Only that some councillors are getting cold feet over issues that can be tackled without the project having to be placed on hold. If anything, the link is becoming more important. The council should acknowledge as much and get on with it.

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