9 December 2014

National giving Auckland growing pains

The National Government is suffocating Auckland’s transport development by holding back its funding for the vital City Rail Link, said the Green Party today.

Auckland Council voted today to delay the main works on the City Rail Link to 2018 because the National Government won’t commit funding before 2020. This comes in spite of record patronage growth this year, which places Auckland trains on track to hit 20 million users annually by 2018.

“The current rail system is being pushed to its breaking point,” says Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.

“The reality is that, until we have the City Rail Link, Auckland Transport will simply be unable to keep up with the demand of its users.

“By refusing to commit to funding, the Government will push $272 million of additional costs on to Auckland ratepayers.

“The National Government must take the blame for this delay to rail development in Auckland and the extra costs.

“We need a train every five minutes, and we can’t put on more trains until we have the City Rail Link.

“Every extra person on the train will mean fewer cars on the road. Freeing up the roads will help Auckland grow into a sustainable, modern city.”

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