Mayor changes track on new rail network

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Auckland Mayor John Banks yesterday turned into a Britomart disciple after endlessly bagging the transport project as the "temple at the bottom of Queen St" and a "$211 million train garage".

"This is one of the great days in the Auckland mayoralty," Mr Banks declared at the signing of a $22.6 million contract for Downer Construction to refurbish the old Chief Post Office as a grand entrance to the Britomart transport centre.

Downer is already well advanced on the $96.6 million stage one contract to build the underground railway station between the back of the post office and Britomart Place.

"I am absolutely delighted we are restoring that building and I take full responsibility for the work being done and the end result," Mr Banks said.

He made the remarks at an informal ceremony attended by senior council and Britomart project staff at the old Northern Steamship Company building, one of 17 heritage buildings that back on to the Britomart site.

Then it was off to the 92-year-old post office for "good photo opportunities", according to a council media note, where Mr Banks and transport committee chairman Greg McKeown posed for the cameras.

In an interview with the Herald, Mr Banks said Britomart was still a "very expensive train garage" and had the potential to be a "temple" but he was much more positive about the cost of developing a new region-wide rail network, which had been priced at more than $1 billion a year ago.

"We have substantially dialled that back to something that is sound, sensible and workable," he said.

His Auckland Citizens & Ratepayers Now ally, Mr McKeown, said part of the new thinking was dropping plans for light rail in favour of less-expensive options, such as electric buses running from Britomart up Queen St as part of a new central city transport corridor to the university, hospital and Newmarket.

In a rare accord with the left, Mr Banks said he supported Mike Lee, the City Vision candidate who won the Auckland Regional Council byelection at the weekend, in pushing ARC bureaucrats into a quick-fix solution to provide new trains by the time Britomart opens in July next year.

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