City Vision has praised plans just released for light rail to be built through central Auckland. The new rapid transit system connects Māngere and Onehunga with Mt Roskill and the City Centre. It will shape our city and our lives, bringing opportunities for a better urban lifestyle, a more compact city form and much needed efficiencies by providing new ways of getting from A to B when roads are already subject to severe congestion.

Deputy Chair of Puketāpapa Local Board Jon Turner is keen to see the project completed.

“My rohe around Mt Roskill, Three Kings, Wesley and Hillsborough is undergoing massive development currently with thousands of new homes being built, bringing tens of thousands more people to live here over the next few years,” Turner said. “The current infrastructure will not be able to handle the huge increase in people travelling to the city and South Auckland for work, study and entertainment."

Albert-Eden Local Board member Christina Robertson sees benefits for local businesses as well.

“A direct link from the city in one direction, and Onehunga, Māngere and Mt Roskill in the other, will put Albert-Eden businesses at centre stage,” she said. “The swift progress of the Light Rail plans will unlock that potential for all businesses along the route, and allow our unique and diverse precincts to become Auckland-wide retail and hospitality destinations.”

The partially tunnelled option delivers the capacity we need to support growth well into the future and will serve as the backbone to future extensions to the northwest and the North Shore. The alignment chosen will unlock the opportunity for substantial housing growth along the corridor, and give new and existing residents real transport choice, bringing them closer to opportunities for work, study and recreation.

Auckland Councillor for Waitematā and Gulf Pippa Coom welcomed the Government’s decision, based on recommendations by the Auckland Light Rail business case.

“Extensive engagement by the Auckland Light Rail team shows strong support by Aucklanders for light rail. The business case is compelling with significant benefits to local communities and businesses. City Vision is a long-time supporter of public transport options for people and we see Light Rail as integral to the provision of reliable low-carbon transport options for our communities and the Auckland region" says City Vision’s Pippa Coom.

City Vision is a coalition of Labour, the Greens, and community independents that stands for environmental protection, outstanding community amenities, quality public transport, ownership of public assets, strong social justice, and for local communities to have a real say. City Vision contests local government elections on the Auckland Isthmus.

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