Mt Wellington development fuels call for more railway stations

Concern that the huge Mt Wellington quarry housing development will shunt intolerable traffic volumes into surrounding suburbs is fuelling a call for more railway stations.

Construction of a new Panmure station, with a large park-and-ride zone, has resumed after being interrupted by technical wrangling.

Auckland City's transport committee now expects the $4 million station to be ready in February or March rather than next month.

The Auckland Regional Transport Network (ARTN), which controls the project, blames a council delay in issuing a building permit as well as debate with Government rail owner Ontrack about whether power lines for possible electric trains can fit under nearby road bridges.

Ontrack has since agreed to allow the station to be built and to decide what to do about the bridges when and if the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), a regional council subsidiary, votes to electrify the trains.

The council committee has also voted to press for another station to be built at Tamaki, north of Panmure and to the east of the quarry development, where 8000 people are expected to move over the next 10 years.

This is despite an ARTN decision not to replace the old Tamaki station it closed last year.