Auckland transport initiatives sped up

Confirmation of a funding package to speed up transport initiatives to address Auckland’s gridlock has been hailed as much needed progress by the EMA.

The Government and Council will invest $27 billion in Auckland transport over the next 10 years. This is part of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP), and confirmation of funding means the programme is being accelerated.

"We’ve been pushing for pace and acceleration in this regard and it appears that is now getting traction. There is certainly a compelling case for spending on Auckland transport now to move these vital projects along," says Kim Campbell, CEO, EMA.

"We know that Auckland congestion is stifling the city’s economy as we released research which verified that this week. The report found that the benefit of decongesting Auckland’s road network would deliver economic and social benefits of at least $1.3 billion.

"This is a story of enabling productivity. Our members said they could be 20% to 30% more productive if congestion was addressed. Which is why we need Auckland Council and the Government to work together."

The EMA, Infrastructure NZ, the National Road Carriers Association, Auckland Airport and Ports of Auckland commissioned the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) to conduct the research. A key finding of the report was if Auckland traffic could move on average between 50.5 km per hour to 56.8 km per hour during week days (ie at capacity) it would benefit the Auckland economy by at least $1.3 billion per annum.

The $27 billion funding package which the Government and Auckland Council are working on will be for the following projects:

- Mill Road ($955 million)
- North Western Busway ($835 million)
- AMETI ($616 million)
- Extending electrification of rail from Papakura to Pukekohe ($130 million)
- The 3rd Main Rail Line (Wiri to Westfield) ($100 million)

ENDS

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