Extra RWC Matches Expensive

in Auckland Featured RWC 2011 Trains by AKT — March 30, 2011 at 8:41 am | 1 comment

Auckland Transport’s coffers will be plundered for some of the extra costs needed for the RWC 2011 matches being played at Eden Park instead of quake-hit Christchurch.

And rates will rise from the planned 4.9% to 5.1%.

Tomorrow morning Auckland Councillors debate a report which says the the economic benefit of the extra matches (I never understand how these figures are manufactured)  is estimated between $27 and 40 million but the total cost for the three additional matches will be  $3.035m.

$792,000 of the total funding requirement will be met by Rugby New Zealand 2011 Limited, the New Zealand Government, and Auckland Transport, through an existing cost sharing arrangement and savings from the existing Rugby World Cup 2011 budget.

Besides the cost, because of extra staff needed to run services to the Park, the report warns of the “difficulties delivering business as usual public transport services on a Monday (after a pool match on a Sunday) and on Monday 10 October (after Quarter Final 4 match).”

But it adds that these risks are manageable by rostering to ensure public transport driver capacity, increasing the number of volunteers, and the drivers.
The report says the transport sector - including rental vehicles, taxis and coaches will benefit from the extra matches.
But of course rugby fans get free train travel paid for largely by the rugby authorities. The report says this is yet to be negotiated with the RWC 2011 authorities in relation to the additional Auckland matches.
The report says if no additional train services are provided this would lead to operational failure resulting in major issues (such as gridlock of Auckland’s traffic network, overloading and failure of public transport services, and unclean and unsafe streets for pedestrians); be a contractual issue; and result in significant reputational harm.
“This is not an acceptable option and is not considered further.”

The main areas of cost include:

• Traffic and transport (including integrated match ticketing, Traffic Management Plans, public transport services, and transport communications) – approx $880,000
• Operations and logistics (including cleaning and waste services, additional consents, compliance and enforcement, campervan servicing, training venue provision) – approx  $525,000
• Fanzone operation and Eden Park stadium walk-up - $445,000
• Additional resident and business communications - $450,000
• Risk and contingency - $500,000 (20%)

 

Tags: Eden Park RWC 2011