Rail dispute goes public

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The row between Auckland local body leaders over a new $360 million train service has led to a public attack on the Auckland Regional Council.

Infrastructure Auckland chairman John Robertson has recommended stripping the ARC of responsibility for the project and handing it to a new group of bureaucrats with no chief executive and no direct accountability to ratepayers.

He has recommended that Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd (ARTNL) take responsibility for the plan. The ARC would remain the service buyer. Mr Robertson said a business plan co-ordinated by the ARC for the rail project lacked robustness and clarity.

ARTNL is a local authority trading enterprise owned by six of the region's seven councils. It was set up to own the rail infrastructure.



Last night, ARC chief executive Jo Brosnahan said she did not want to get into a war of words, but it was wrong to use the business plan as a weapon against the ARC.

Further reading
Feature: Getting Auckland moving

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