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Council Agrees Two Transport Step Changes for Auckland
COUNCIL AGREES TWO TRANSPORT STEP CHANGES FOR AUCKLAND
On Wednesday 14 September, two significant transport agreements were made by Auckland Council and the government. The City Rail Link and works identified by the Auckland Transport Alignment Project will ease the pressure on our current transport network and begin to unlock $2.5 billion of productivity currently lost to congestion.
Enabling works have started for the City Rail Link (CRL) but until now the funding responsibilities were not set in stone. With the signing of the Heads of Agreement we have agreed 50/50 funding share with government, to be managed by an independent Board of Directors.
The expected benefits for the whole transport network will be significant. The capacity of the network will increase from 15,000 to 30,000 passengers per hour, increased rail patronage will ease pressure on arterial roads and motorways, and urban renewal projects around stations are estimated to be valued around $5 billion.
CRL fast facts:
· 50/50 funding between Auckland Council
and central government
· 3.4 km of new rail costing
between $2.8 billion and $3.5 billion
· Council funding
budgeted for in 2015-2025 Long Term Plan
· Urban renewal
developments with an expected value of $5 billion
·
Network capacity will double to 30,000 passengers per
hour
Related to the CRL progress is the completion of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP). ATAP delivers an agreement between the Government and Council on the short, medium and long tern deliverables that are required to lift productivity and decongest the network. The projects are a mix of roading works both motorway and arterial, current network improvements and technological developments.
By agreeing the priority projects, council and government can prioritise and agree funding for the works so desperately needed to unlock Auckland’s constrained transport system. There is an estimated $4 billion gap between funding available and the ATAP list of deliverables in the first decade. The next stage of work will be filling the funding gap and begin construction.
This is a truly exciting time for Auckland, one we will look back on with more appreciation, but for now hard work remains for the government and incoming council.
Links:
More information on the CRL Heads of Agreement here: http://www.transport.govt.nz/rail/metro-rail/auckland-city-rail-link/
More information on the final ATAP agreement here: http://www.transport.govt.nz/land/auckland/atap/
Photo: L-R:
Simon Bridges (Minister for Transport), Mark Gilbert
(Auckland Transport), Bill Cashmore (Franklin ward
councillor) in Shaft 1, Victoria Street, Auckland after
Heads of Agreement signing
| Indicative package of projects
over $200 million | Description |
| First Decade | |
| City Rail Link (committed) | Underground rail line linking Britomart
and the city centre with the existing western line near Mt
Eden. Britomart will become a through station with new stations near Aotea Square and Karangahape Road, and a redeveloped station at Mount Eden. |
| Puhoi-Warkworth Road of National Significance (committed) | 18.5km extension of the
four-lane Northern Motorway (SH1), from the Johnstone’s
Hill tunnels (Puhoi) to just north of Warkworth. It is the first stage of the Ara Tuhono – Puhoi to Wellsford Road of National Significance. |
| East West Link (committed) | · New state highway link across
the south of the isthmus between SH20 at Onehunga and SH1 at
Mt Wellington. Includes: · improvements on SH1 through to Princes Street in Otahuhu local road intersection upgrades, walkways, cycleways and improved bus routes. |
| · Accelerated motorway package
(committed): · Northern motorway · Northern Busway extension · Southern Corridor SH20A to Auckland airport | · Northern corridor: · three-laning State Highway 1 northbound Constellation to Greville · State Highway 1/Greville Road Interchange improvements · State Highway 1 to State Highway 18 motorway-to-motorway link · Northern Busway extension. Southern
corridor: State Highway 20A: |
| AMETI Panmure-Botany (partly committed) | Road improvements from Panmure to Botany via Pakuranga , including the Reeves Road flyover at the Pakuranga town centre, and a dedicated busway. |
| Mill Road northern section (partly committed) | Upgrade to a 4 lane arterial with some bus priority of Redoubt and Mill Roads from Manukau to Takanini, including Murphys Road. |
| Safety, walking and cycling programmes (partly committed) | Urban cycle network extension,
particularly around the city centre, isthmus and major
centres. Safety programmes includes safety and minor improvements, safety around schools, crash reduction implementation, regional safety programme and safety speed management. |
| Base investment to enable greenfield growth – primarily in northwest and south | Arterial roads and local transport
infrastructure to support the development of land for
housing. Land acquisition for future routes. |
| Northwestern Busway first stage: Westgate to Te Atatu | Dedicated busway between Westgate and Te Atatu. |
| SH16 to SH18 connection improvements | Motorway to motorway link between State Highway 16 and 18 (Kumeu to Hobsonville). |
| Southern Motorway upgrade between Papakura and Drury South | SH1 6 laning from Papakura interchange to Drury interchange. |
| Southwestern Motorway (SH20) upgrade Dominion Road to Queenstown Rd | Additional southbound lane on SH20 between Dominion Road and Queenstown Road to remove bottleneck. |
| Upgraded eastern Airport access (SH20B) | Additional lanes for the eastern access route between Puhinui Road and the Airport. |
| Early Rail Development Programme priorities | · Additional trains to support patronage
growth. Rail network infrastructure: · freight efficiency and capacity improvements at the Port and freight hubs additional tracking for the main line (Wiri to Westfield) and electrification to Pukekohe. |
| Second decade | |
| Continued base investment to enable greenfield growth. | New and improved arterial roads and local infrastructure in the north, northwest and south (likely Silverdale, Warkworth, Kumeu and Drury). |
| SH16 Kumeu alternative access | Realignment of State Highway 16 to bypass the Kumeu growth area and town centre. |
| Pukekohe expressway | New four lane State Highway link (replacing State Highway 22) from Drury South to Pukekohe. |
| Mill Road: Southern extension | Extend Mill Road phase 1 project to
provide a new link from Takanini to State Highway 1 at Drury
South interchange. Joins the Pukekohe expressway to provide a continuous four lane arterial from the Manukau / Flatbush area to Pukekohe. |
| Otahuhu to East Tamaki connection | New 4 lane arterial road
connections across the Tamaki River and Pakuranga Creek to
link the Highbrook industrial area with State Highway 1 at
Otahuhu and Pakuranga. |
| Mass transit Airport to City Centre | Dedicated mass transit corridor linking the Airport to the city centre via Mangere, Onehunga and Dominion Road corridor. |
| Bus improvements Airport – Manukau – Botany | Dedicated bus priority linking eastern suburbs to Airport via Manukau. |
| Improved Port/Grafton Gully access | Grade separation of
Grafton Gully to the Port |
| Inner Southern Motorway interchange improvements | Interchange improvements at Khyber Pass, Green Lane, Ellerslie/Panmure and East Tamaki. |
| Northwestern Busway extensions | Phase 2 extends the Busway from Te Atatu to city centre and also extends the northwestern end from Westgate towards Kumeu. |
| Penlink | New arterial road connection from Redvale to Whangaparaoa bypassing Silverdale. |
| Ongoing safety, walking and cycling programmes | Continuation of programme for the second decade, connecting people on foot or by bicycle to smaller town centres across the region. Continuation of safety programme. |
| Rail Development Programme second decade priorities | 4th main line Wiri to Westfield, additional electric trains and associated stabling facilities, continuation of level crossing removal programme. |
| Third decade | |
| Continued base investment to enable greenfield growth. | A suite of projects,
including new, and upgraded, arterial roads, local roads and
associated public transport and walking and cycling
infrastructure to support the release of greenfield land for
housing. This is targeted at areas phased within the third decade. |
| Additional Waitematā Harbour crossing (road and public transport), including mass transit upgrade of Northern Busway. | Tunnel crossing for road
and mass transit across the Waitematā Harbour. Road tunnel includes 3 lanes each direction between Onewa and the central motorway junction. Mass transit extends to Orewa and connects to the city centre. Auckland Harbour Bridge retains 7 lanes for general traffic and 1 lane for cyclists. Access is to the city centre. |
| Northern Motorway widening | Widening of the Northern Motorway (SH1) between Onewa and Constellation. |
| Southern Motorway improvements Manukau-Papakura | Widening of the Southern Motorway (SH1) between Hill Road and Papakura so that it becomes 4 lanes in each direction. |
| Southwest Motorway (SH20) improvements Mangere Bridge-SH20A | Widening of the Southwest Motorway (SH20) between Mangere Bridge and SH20A so that it becomes 4 lanes in each direction. |
| Improved northern access to the Airport | Widening of SH20A so that it becomes 3 lanes in each direction. |
| Ongoing safety, walking and cycling programmes | Continuation of programme for
the third decade extending cycle network outside of the
isthmus. Continuation of safety programme. |
| Rail Development Programme third decade priorities | Extension of 3rd and 4th main line to southern growth areas, additional trains and stabling facilities, station capacity enhancements, signalling system upgrade, ongoing network renewals. |
Note that the ATAP table
is over and above committed projects like CRL, the
Accelerated Motorway Package, East West & Puhoi to
Warkworth.
APTN used 2015-2025 as the
first decade whereas ATAP uses 2018-2028.
The main
changes:
· Northwestern Busway brought into the first
decade from the second
· AMETI (Pakuranga-Botany)
brought into the first decade from the second
· Motorway
bottleneck projects (SH20 & SH1) brought into the first
decade from the third
· Pukekohe electrification brought
into the first decade from the second (mainly due to 2025-28
timing change)
· Isthmus mass transit (probably LRT)
second decade, not in APTN at all
· Airport mass transit
brought from third decade into second (probably LRT rather
than heavy rail)
· A much larger transport programme to
support greenfield growth has been included in ATAP,
informed by the TFUG
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