Government officially axes Auckland Light Rail Project

[YorkRailFan]

NEW ZEALAND: The government has officially cancelled the Auckland light rail project. Work had been suspended after the National-led coalition came to power last year.

On January 14 Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the light rail scheme as ‘wasteful and unfit for purpose’, while Transport Minister Simeon Brown said it ‘would have cost taxpayers NZ$15bn, with advice showing the cost could increase to NS$29·2bn’.

The proposed 24 km line was intended to run south from the city centre to the airport, with a long tunnel section from Wynyard Quarter to Mt Roskill and then a surface alignment alongside the SH20 motorway. Longer-term plans envisaged expansion to serve the North Shore and northwest districts.


When the decision to build a light rail line was announced in 2022, the then Minister of Transport Michael Wood said it was intended to form the spine of ‘a fully integrated rapid transport network’, with the City Rail Link now nearing completion as the ‘heart’.
‘The previous government committed to building light rail to Mt Roskill within four years of being elected’, Brown commented. ‘After six years and over NZ$228m spent on the project, not a single metre of track has been delivered and congestion has only worsened in the city.

‘Scrapping the expensive project is part of the coalition agreements and we have taken swift action. Auckland Light Rail Ltd has been instructed to immediately cease work on the project, and to take the necessary steps to wind up the company.

‘The government is committed to delivering infrastructure that will reduce congestion, boost productivity, and create a more reliable and resilient transport network that drives economic growth’, he added. ‘Our focus is on building a rapid transit network in Auckland, including completion of the City Rail Link, which was started by the last National Government, and starting work on a Northwest Rapid Transit corridor, alongside other projects to deliver reduced congestion for Aucklanders. Work is underway on rewriting the Government Policy Statement on land transport which will reflect these priorities.’

Government cancels Auckland Light Rail project

NEW ZEALAND: The government has officially cancelled the Auckland light rail project. Work had been suspended after the National-led coalition came to power last year. On January 14 Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the light rail scheme as 'wasteful and unfit for purpose', while...

www.railwaygazette.com

Such a shame for Auckland International Airport to lose a potential transit link to the city. Whilst the CRL (City Rail Link) is a good project, it's not enough and won't fully alleviate congestion in the City and surrounding suburbs.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Government cancels Auckland Light Rail project

NEW ZEALAND: The government has officially cancelled the Auckland light rail project. Work had been suspended after the National-led coalition came to power last year. On January 14 Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the light rail scheme as 'wasteful and unfit for purpose', while...

www.railwaygazette.com

Such a shame for Auckland International Airport to lose a potential transit link to the city. Whilst the CRL (City Rail Link) is a good project, it's not enough and won't fully alleviate congestion in the City and surrounding suburbs.

One saving grace is that Te Huia (the train service between Auckland and Hamilton) provides a fast service to Puhinui in the southern Auckland suburbs, where the airport bus operates from (circa 15 min journey time).
If you increased the frequency and speed of Te Huia, that could provide a lot of benefits that the Auckland Light Rail project would have, without the same large investment (e.g. a sub 45 min journey Auckland centre to the Airport) and simultaneously improve connections to Hamilton and the rest of the Waikato.

 

[stadler]

One saving grace is that Te Huia (the train service between Auckland and Hamilton) provides a fast service to Puhinui in the southern Auckland suburbs, where the airport bus operates from (circa 15 min journey time).
If you increased the frequency and speed of Te Huia, that could provide a lot of benefits that the Auckland Light Rail project would have, without the same large investment (e.g. a sub 45 min journey Auckland centre to the Airport) and simultaneously improve connections to Hamilton and the rest of the Waikato.

Are you allowed to take the Te Huia train entirely within the Auckland area? I am not 100% sure but i though that Papakura and Puhinui were set down only towards Auckland and pick up only away from Auckland on the way back? In any case the service is very little use for a flight unless you are very lucky to have a flight that connects perfectly with it. It only runs twice a day in each direction (increasing to three times a day in each direction soon on three days a week) so it is very infrequent.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Are you allowed to take the Te Huia train entirely within the Auckland area? I am not 100% sure but i though that Papakura and Puhinui were set down only towards Auckland and pick up only away from Auckland on the way back? In any case the service is very little use for a flight unless you are very lucky to have a flight that connects perfectly with it. It only runs twice a day in each direction (increasing to three times a day in each direction soon on three days a week) so it is very infrequent.

I saw nothing about set down/pick up stops on the Te Huia website, although I may have been mistaken.
As for the frequency, yes I totally agree, but Waikato Region I understand are looking into funding a much more frequent service as ridership builds up - I wonder if Auckland Transport would consider making a sizeable contribution to an upgrade as an alternative to the expensive light rail scheme?