As the government and Auckland council agree to work together on transport in our largest city, new data analysis estimates how many hours commuters will lose next year to Auckland rail closures, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday morning, sign up here.
A million hours lost
One million. That’s how many hours Emma Vitz estimates will be lost by commuters next year when rail lines in Auckland close for repair. Vitz has published her data analysis on The Spinoff this morning. Vitz has estimated how many people would take the train during the time period of the closures, and how much longer an equivalent bus journey would take them. KiwiRail is closing large parts of the Auckland rail network between 2023 and 2025 to replace the rock foundations underneath the tracks to make sure they will be able to deal with an expected growing number of people on trains. Three rail lines will be closed for extended periods in 2023.
Immigration rule changes expected to ease bus driver shortage
Yesterday’s immigration announcement couldn’t have come a moment too soon. Under the rule change, bus and truck drivers would have a time-limited two-year residence pathway through a sector agreement. With the Auckland rail lines closed next year, rail services will be replaced by buses. Auckland Transport has cancelled thousands of bus trips this year because of a bus driver shortage. The sector expects the immigration changes to ease the shortage. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown issued a statement last night saying the changes suggest that the government is now listening to Aucklanders. Still on Brown’s transport to-do list however, is “preventing or mitigating the two years of disruption to trains that Auckland commuters face because of poor line-maintenance planning.”
Government and council agree to joined up approach to transport in Auckland
Brown’s statement comes after Saturday’s announcement of an agreement between the government and Auckland council to work on a joint plan for Auckland’s transport infrastructure. The announcement included a $200m funding boost for the Eastern Busway. As Stuff’s Todd Niall writes, while the funding boost is significant, the agreement to be more coordinated in dealing with the city’s other big-ticket transport projects may be a bigger step forward.
Mayor wants port gone by 2040
Brown also announced yesterday that he wants the port gone from Auckland’s waterfront by 2040. Under Brown’s proposed timeline the Captain Cook wharf and part of the Bledisloe wharf would be cleared by December 2024 and the Fergusson container terminal would be gone by December 2039. The government was aware of Brown’s timeline when it agreed to work with the council on transport. Auckland’s council-owned port company said the release of the plan by the mayor was “unexpected” and appeared to predetermine the outcome of work still to be done.