Christopher Luxon speaks to the media on National's transport policy
National has unveiled a $24 billion transport policy focused mainly on roads and showcasing a $6b Auckland-focused plan linking the city with the north and Tauranga.
Today’s policy release includes a $5b-plus plan for public transport in Auckland, including a northwestern busway, and busway or trackless trams from Botany to the airport.
The party has already announced that if it is elected to govern at the general election, four-lane highways from Whangārei to Tauranga will be built at a cost of $6 billion.
However, critics have hit back, with Transport Minister David Parker claiming the data used for the cost estimate is “laughable at best”.
Luxon said his Botany electorate was “absolutely not” getting special treatment in the plan, despite the fact the major Auckland public transport projects go there.
”It is one of the most poorly-served parts of the city,” Luxon said.
National’s transport spokesman Simeon Brown would not confirm whether the party would keep the Te Huia train, which runs from Hamilton to Auckland’s CBD, but did not promise to axe it either.
He said he would await a review of the project before determining whether to continue its funding.
”The Te Huia train has been a debacle over a number of years,” Brown said.
Luxon said National’s “vision” was for “New Zealand to become one of the world’s leading small, advanced economies and our transport plan will help drive prosperity and lift the standard of living for all New Zealanders.
”With National’s Transport for the Future plan in place, New Zealanders will be able to get where they want to go faster and spend less time in their cars and more time doing what they love. Freight will also move more efficiently around the country, improving productivity,” he said.
‘We’ve got to have some vision in this country’: Luxon
Earlier today Luxon told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning that the party wants roads of significance and will join up Tauranga to Whangārei, and better public transport, particularly in Auckland.
“We’ve got to have some vision in this country and part of that is making sure we have a very strong roading network,” Luxon said.
“Better roads would allow more houses to be built and give some reason for New Zealanders to stay here.”
The Northern Busway has been hugely successful. Photo / Jason Oxenham
National plans to replicate the hugely successful Northern busway with a Northwestern busway at a cost of $2.9 billion. Rail will also be considered.
A national infrastructure agency, which the National Party plans to create to engage domestic and offshore investors, will be instructed to procure funding to build, own and operate the busway within the first term of Government.
The last National Government upgraded the northwestern motorway alongside the construction of the Waterview tunnel, but chose not to build a busway, which party figures privately acknowledge was a big mistake.
West Auckland is the fastest growing part of Auckland, and a busway is seen as key to unlocking housing and improving transport choices.
The Government and Auckland Transport are currently building dedicated bus lanes and stations along the northwestern motorway, described as a ‘pop-up busway’, but have not committed to a fullscale busway.
National’s other big public transport project is extending the Eastern Busway, still under construction from Pakuranga to Botany, from Botany to the airport.
It is understood the $2.1b project could be a busway or trackless trams. It would be funded through the normal processes, and involve Auckland Council.
National also plans to pump more money into completing the Eastern Busway.
As well as these transport projects, National is promising four big roading projects.
Warkworth to Wellsford - $2.2b and to start in the next four to 10 years.
East-West Link - $1.9b and to start in the next one to three years.
Mill Rd stage on - $1.3b and to start in the next one to three years.
North West bypass highway - $2.3b and to start in the next four to 10 years.
National wants to complete the Eastern Busway from Panmure to Botany. Image / Supplied
Luxon this morning said National would scrap the Government’s light rail project from the city centre to the airport, costed at $14.6b, but which Treasury has said could cost $30b.
Luxon also said the party would prioritise a second tunnel in Wellington as part of the “Let’s Get Wellington Moving” campaign.
“The Mt Vic tunnel is about $2.2 billion and we want to get onto that pretty quickly,” he said.
Roads around the county would be “upgraded and properly maintained and sorted” under National he said.
“We’ve got to have some vision in this country and part of that is making sure we have a very strong roading network,” he said.
National’s four main roading projects are:
Whangārei to Port Marsden - $1.3b and to start in the next one to three years.
Warkworth to Wellsford - $2.2b and to start in the next four to 10 years.
Cambridge to Piarere - $720 million and to start in the next one to three years.
Tauriko West State Highway 29 - $1.9b and to start in the next four to 10 years.
National says it will not have to raise excise taxes and will fund it through the National Land Transport Fund and increased government investment.
Transport Minister David Parker. Photo / NZME
Transport Minister David Parker has responded by saying the plan was “breathtakingly misleading”.
Parker said last night: “The costs are as woefully light, as is their explanation of how they will fund these roads – the cost will be many hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars more than they are admitting,” he told TVNZ.
He described the data as old and “laughable at best”.
According to 1News, the Greens said this kind of money should be spent on public transport.
Luxon said even electric vehicles require adequate roads.
Others, such as Transport New Zealand, told 1News they support the initiative, claiming more road investment makes them safer while also boosting the economy.
