Since 2017 the Government has wasted $35 million of taxpayer money on light rail and has nothing to show for it, National’s Transport spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

“The Government has spent millions of dollars on a project that can’t even get off the drawing board. But that’s just the beginning, we still don’t know how much light rail will eventually end up costing, if it ever gets off the ground.

“Light rail from Auckland’s CBD to the airport was Labour’s flagship election policy in 2017. It was supposed to be up and running to Mt Roskill this year, but that dream is in tatters.

“Light rail represents everything that is wrong with this Government, big on talk and promises, but useless on delivery.

“While Labour has continued to throw millions of dollars at this ghost train, Aucklanders have been fronting up with an extra 10 cents at the petrol pump to pay for it.

“The Regional Fuel Tax was the Prime Minister’s way to ‘crowd-source for light rail’, but Aucklanders have had nothing in return. They deserve a fuel tax refund.

“Rather than continuing to bang the light rail drum, the Government should be investing in a second harbour crossing. This is a project that Aucklanders desperately need.

“New Zealand is taking on billions of dollars of debt, we can’t afford to waste it on projects that are unlikely to get off the ground and won’t make a real difference to the lives of New Zealanders.”

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