Public duped over rail costs, says analyst

The proposed inner city rail loop. Photo / Supplied

Aucklanders are being misinformed about the costs of an inner city rail loop, says a man who campaigned to replace trains with buses through tunnels to Wellington's Johnsonville.

Tony Randle believes a business case for Auckland's $2.4 billion central city rail tunnel proposal under-cooked the costs to make it look more attractive than an underground bus system serving more people.

He said presumed costs of a bus tunnel considered in the business case were exaggerated.

Mr Randle, a business analyst and public transport advocate of the Johnsonville Progressive Association, said Aucklanders had not received an honest appraisal of a bus tunnel in being asked their views of a 30-year spatial plan in which the rail project is a central feature.

"The deceptive elimination of the superior central bus tunnel option has reduced the debate to whether the rail tunnel should be built," he said.

Plan submissions close with the Auckland Council on Monday.

The $5 million business case, commissioned by KiwiRail and the former Auckland Regional Transport Authority, said a 3.5km rail tunnel from western Britomart to Mt Eden could be built for 60 per cent of the cost of a 3km bus version.

But Mr Randle said that was largely because of the "unjustified and undocumented" inclusion of a duplicate bus tunnel and nine extra busways, and a failure to provide for extra bus passengers to complement the rail project.

Bus tunnel operating costs had also been overblown and rail costs under-estimated.

Mr Randle has prepared an 89-page critique of the rail project in his spare time assisted with data which he said he received from Auckland Transport only after the Ombudsman intervened.

He said the net present cost of a rail tunnel, estimated in the business case at $1.52 billion, worked out at $2.24 billion if a realistic level of bus infrastructure was added and operating cost errors rectified.

The net cost of a bus tunnel would be $1.85 billion, compared with the business case estimate of $2.64 billion.

Mr Randle said the rail tunnel had been assessed in isolation, without assuming investment for a doubling of bus passengers needed even if the trains carried a capacity of 24,900 people through it a day.

Bus patronage into central Auckland was predicted to grow from 23,180 passengers a day to 42,814 by 2041 even if a rail tunnel is built.

A more realistic bus tunnel option would be much fairer in providing a rapid transit service to more commuters across more of Auckland than any rail system.

Auckland Transport said a bus tunnel was rejected as it would not solve capacity problems at Britomart, and the case for a rail link was independently reviewed by international experts.

WHAT'S THE COST?

Business case net present cost estimates
* Rail tunnel - $1.52b
* Bus tunnel - $2.64b

Tony Randle's estimates
* Rail tunnel - $2.24b
* Bus tunnel - $1.85b