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A high-speed rail service between Hamilton and Auckland shouldn’t be a priority when it comes to remedying the super city’s traffic problems, AA says.
Instead, the motorists association is in favor of devoting resources to examining whether a congestion charge might work in Auckland.
Transportation Minister Phil Twyford recently published an early rapid rail business case, outlining the tentative costs and benefits of high-speed rail service between the two fast-growing cities.
Linking Hamilton and the Auckland CBD via a fast rail link could cut travel times to 69 minutes, but would cost up to $ 14.4 billion to install.
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The cabinet agreed to begin work on an in-depth business case about fast rail.
If given the green light, a high-speed rail service could take up to eight years to launch and require the backing of a coalition of investors, Twyford said.
The underlying problem the government is trying to address is the traffic jam on the southern highway, with the passenger train “very powerful in unblocking the jam,” he said.
But the chief adviser to the Auckland Transport Automobile Association, Barney Irvine, doubts that a fast rail service between Hamilton and Auckland will have a significant impact on traffic congestion.
Warwick Smith / Stuff
Transport Minister Phil Twyford unveiled the government’s first business case on a fast train service between Hamilton and Auckland on Tuesday (file photo).
An interregional express rail service should be “very low on the list” when it comes to actions to address Auckland’s traffic problems.
“In terms of strategic or network congestion relief, it would be very, very little,” Irvine said.
“We are not talking about a large number of vehicles per day making that trip now, or probably in the medium term.
“Rapid transit is a big part of tackling Auckland’s congestion, but much more important than rapid transit between Auckland and Hamilton is rapid transit within Auckland.”
If the government is serious about solving Auckland’s traffic problems, the starting point is to set firm congestion targets.
Among the significant actions officials could take is to seriously examine Auckland’s congestion charges.
Cities like London apply a daily congestion charge to motorists who drive within a “congestion charge zone.”
Christel Yardley / Stuff
Hamilton East MP David Bennett said that a high-speed rail service between Hamilton and Auckland is an impossible dream (file photo).
“Officials have done high-quality analysis of why and how congestion charging might work in Auckland, but the findings have been hidden from the public for more than a year,” Irvine said.
The work was carried out as part of The Congestion Question, a joint project of the Auckland Government and Council.
In a statement, the demand management manager of the Transport Ministry, Marian Willberg, said that the report on phase one of the congestion issue was completed in November 2017. The ministry continues to work on phase two.
“While good progress has been made, the work program has been affected by the need to focus on the Covid-19 response. There is currently no specific timeline for the release of the phase two report, ”said Willberg.
Hamilton East MP David Bennett said the economic justification for fast rail service between Hamilton and Auckland was unmatched.
Bennett said trains can, and should, play a key role in addressing Waikato’s transportation needs, but he doesn’t think fast rail service warrants further investigation.
Kelly Hodel / Stuff
Hamilton-based Labor List MP Jamie Strange says simply building more roads will not solve Auckland’s traffic congestion (file photo).
Plans to have commuter train service between Hamilton and Auckland in early November are likely to have been derailed due to problems with the rails.
Covid-19 has also contributed to delaying the start date of the Te Huia service, which now appears to have a February start date.
Hamilton-based Labor List MP Jamie Strange said investigative work on a fast rail service has been left out of work aimed at protecting the Hamilton-Auckland corridor in the future.
In the past, growth has occurred without much strategic thinking. Simply building more roads will not solve Auckland’s traffic congestion, Strange said.
“In Auckland, there has been residential growth and transport has had a difficult time catching up, so we have a lot of complicated transport solutions in Auckland,” he said.
“Our goal is to do it the other way around: transportation comes first, and then growth builds from those key transportation nodes.”
Twyford said the initial business case on the fast train indicates that the land around the proposed train stations will increase in value. This, in turn, will stimulate changes in land use that will unlock development along the Hamilton to Auckland corridor.
