The mix of options for meeting transport needs in the central business district (CBD) has not been sufficiently explored found the review, which was produced by the Ministry of Transport and the Treasury in conjunction with the NZ Transport Agency.
“In short, the review says more work needs to be done to determine the full future transport needs of central Auckland before proceeding with a project like the CBD Rail Link,“ said transport minister Steven Joyce. “However, the review suggests that in the meantime, it makes strategic sense for Auckland Council to move to protect the route, and I agree with that.“
The review found that the estimated construction costs for the CBD Rail Link are largely sound, at a total of NZ$2.4bn (£1.2bn). It estimated that the transport benefits of the project are $387m rather than the NZ$1,319m assessed in the business case.
The project would have only a modest impact on traffic volumes and be likely remove up to 1,400 cars of the estimated 29,000 travelling into the CBD during the morning peak in 2041, it found. The wider economic benefits of the project as estimated in the business case (NZ$3.3 billion) were very significantly over-stated and were in fact more like $305m, found the review. This was still high relative to the transport benefits when compared with similar large international transport projects, it said.
The review suggested a series of steps to be taken by Auckland Council to improve the future case for development of the CBD Rail Link. These include finalisation and implementation of the Auckland spatial plan and city centre masterplan to establish achievable growth projections for the CBD and to quantify where the growth projected for the CBD will occur. It should also develop a robust multi-modal plan for future transport into the CBD, which includes a thorough analysis of all the alternatives and should begin implementation of large scale residential developments along the rail corridors to capitalise on the current upgrade and electrification.
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