Pay up for rail, Fletcher tells Govt

By PHILIP ENGLISH

Christine Fletcher wants the Government to pay the biggest share of the $65 million Auckland political leaders have agreed Tranz Rail should receive for improved public transport access to rail corridors.

Mrs Fletcher, Mayor of Auckland, said it would not be fair if local bodies and Infrastructure Auckland had to use public funds belonging to Aucklanders to pay most of the $65 million.

The deal struck by Auckland political leaders on Friday is subject to final settlement on September 30. Auckland councils, Infrastructure Auckland and the Government will share the $65 million bill.

Mrs Fletcher said she was not happy that Auckland had been left facing such an amount when seven years ago the Government sold the 80-year lease to the country's rail tracks for $1.

The Government had a chance to put right the wrongs of the past, she said. "It will be a test to see if the Government is pro or anti-Auckland."

Transport Minister Mark Gosche said he would not comment because no formal discussions had taken place with the Auckland councils over the deal.

But, he added, "Central Government was not involved in the negotiation of the proposed agreement between Tranz Rail and local government."

The chairman of the regional land transport committee, Auckland Regional Council member Les Paterson, said there was merit in what Mrs Fletcher wanted.

"I am sure the other mayors are pretty much of the same opinion. It seems a natural thing to ask them to help us, particularly as the Government and the previous Government before it were asking us to do everything we possibly could to come to a commercial arrangement."

Auckland councils originally had in mind paying up to $33 million to buy out the lease locally. Tranz Rail put a value of about $300 million on the tracks.

Mr Paterson said of the eight months of negotiations with Tranz Rail over the $65 million: "We've come an awful long way as a region to get to this stage.

"It would be calamitous really if we failed to get some sort of agreement between ourselves and central Government as to how this can be found."

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