The Government has chosen its preferred option for a new mass transit service from the city centre to Māngere. It's a light rail line that will run in tunnels all the way from Wynyard Quarter to Mt Roskill.
OPINION
There has been recent speculation about my position on light rail. This is my understanding of the issue.
Last year, I agreed with the Minister of Transport to work towards an agreed broader plan to futureproof Auckland with a single, high-quality, joined-up transport system, that includes cars,buses, trains, ferries, cyclists, pedestrians, freight and passenger rail, and light rail.
However, it’s getting more and more tricky to make a strong economic case for spending up to $29 billion on a single route of Auckland light rail, especially as the cost is expected to further increase according to Treasury’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update.
Initially, light rail was a response to bus congestion on Symonds St, but changing commuting patterns with more people working from home solved that problem.
Then, for a period, it was a very expensive alternative to the airport bus before the focus shifted to growth and intensification of housing along the Dominion Rd corridor. You could say that it went from being a transport scheme to a housing scheme.
Since then, some big changes have occurred. Firstly, there’s no growth, and Auckland’s population has fallen.
Secondly, as a result of Covid-19, there are high levels of vacancy in CBD office buildings, which represent a better opportunity to intensify housing as the buildings and infrastructure are already there.
Thirdly, the Government passed new intensification rules allowing buildings of up to three storeys on most sites without any need for resource consent. So, why focus on Dominion Rd?
Fourthly, Auckland Transport is preparing to trial dynamic bus lanes on feeder roads, which, coupled with transponders already fitted on buses, should speed them up and leave a lane for parking to help keep the shops open.
These changes weaken the business case for Auckland light rail, and you have to question the need to spend $180 million on staff and consultants.
We need to refocus on the most pressing priorities, and rein in projects that are not immediately essential.
It would be best to wait until the City Rail Link (CRL), the fifth big change, is completed, as this will definitely have an impact on whether to go ahead with light rail.
Wayne Brown. Photo / Greg Bowker, File
With regards to Auckland’s port, I will propose a staged, long-term transition to provide medium-term job security, but clear dates and milestones are required to inform central government’s draft New Zealand freight and supply chain strategy, to be published by mid-2023, and allow for infrastructure investment decisions to be made by central and local government and the private sector.
We are developing the first-ever comprehensive Auckland Transport plan to cover vehicles, freight, and all modes of transport.
What we currently have is a framework of transport-related plans and strategies – covering everything from public transport, rapid transport, and city centre buses, to freight, roads and streets, and parking – each led by Auckland Transport, Auckland Council, or Government, but not linked or addressing shipping.
This single, integrated transport plan will question the current Auckland light rail proposal, which, if it’s to have a future, would arguably be of value to the northwest where growth that does occur will be centred.
Auckland’s transport system needs a fundamental change of approach, to deeply understand and respond to what matters most to Aucklanders in transport, get the most out of the existing transport network, and finish the projects that we’ve already started.
I am encouraged that the incoming Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, has made it a priority to meet with Auckland business and community leaders to hear first-hand about the most pressing issues affecting New Zealand’s largest city.
While I remain sceptical about the economic case for Auckland light rail, I look forward to working with the incoming Prime Minister and his team on an agreed broader transport plan, and the big issues that families and businesses in Auckland are facing.
