Subscribe to RSSMajor works unfinished? No, it’s time to sort out this mess
As work continues on New Lynn’s rail trench development and a new Newmarket railway station hub, worrying media reports suggest these may be in jeopardy and become unfinished.
NEWMARKET: A new station is slowly taking shape
It’s inconceivable that the new Government, having sorted out the cost of electrification, would succumb to the typically Auckland dilemma of major works being half-done (e.g the original short changed Auckland harbour bridge lanes, Britomart’s maddening only one line in - one out scenario, no room for growth in the Waterview tunnel, the Albany tollgate shifting the Orewa bottleneck north).
In fact this could be a positive. It’s a good excuse to sort out Auckland’s bewildering dysfunctional bureaucratic transport system once and for all.
NEW LYNN: The rail trench development is well underway
We have Ontrack, Maxx, Kiwi Rail, Veolia, Arta, ARC, local councils involved in the rail network - who can make head and tail of it all.
The Government did the right thing in owning the electric trains, it owns the tracks, now it needs to take over the running of railway platforms, stations and development and work out what’s affordable in these difficult times.
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Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
1 Comments
You wrote “It’s inconceivable that the new Government, having sorted out the cost of electrification, would succumb to the typically Auckland dilemma of major works being half-done”.
Is it inconceivable? Sure I agree it`s better to have one cook stirring the pot than five but do you really think Rodney Hide gives a stuff about PT? Stop being so naive. The government`s motives for the supercity concept have nothing to do with enhancing PT. Infact if anything it`s the other way around. With their guys onboard, PT supporting local politicians like Mike Lee, Bob Harvey and Andrew Williams will be sidelined, just watch and see. This is all about National and Act controlling the landscape in Auckland rather than independant-minded guys who could cause problems and embarrass the government. It`s a super-city for all the wrong reasons so therefore don`t assume any PT works are safe.
Sure you complain about the delays, signal problems etc but look back several years and tell me things haven`t improved. I`m often frustrated too but there has been steady momentum over the past few years and importantly the ARC and ARTA have been widening their plans for PT in the future and looking to build on the recent progress. At least there was a clear plan for the future. Now there`s uncertainty. If the government were going to take away the regional tax scheme they should have come out at the same time and given a concrete plan of what they were going to do. No such luck.
You wrote “work out what’s affordable in these difficult times.” Yeah, that`s what scares me. When you`ve got at a government that is at best ambivalent to PT, what do you think they might find “affordable” viz a viz PT in Auckland? That could have consequences for the electric trains themselves. Sure, the government might fund them. Sure they might pay to complete the stations. But will they be what you were expecting or a lot more basic than what you consider would be de riguer for a first world city rapid transport rail system? Even if the government did this you couldn`t complain could you…afterall the government would have been true to its word and purchased electric trains for Auckland. And if we in Auckland don`t like them, too bad! I`m worried with this government “affordable” means a low cost, basic, poor quality solution. That only provides more headaches in the future ala the Britomart station entrance and does not provide a long-term incentive for you or me and others in Auckland to use rail transport.
Ever thought about that?
I don`t know about you but I would prefer the steady, mapped out progress of the ARC and ARTA with all its faults and paying more locally in petrol tax to get a quality solution than the low quality government-funded one above.