Explained: Auckland’s next multi-billion-dollar rail project | Stuff.co.nz

[@anthony-m9m1i]

When will Auckland become a modern city and have a rail system from the fukin airport to the city centre.

[@karensayer3089]

Airport don't want it. Reason? Car parking revenue!!

[@Mazigaro]

Melbourne doesn’t have one either

[@TOTN17]

@@Mazigaro Melbourne plans to have a Airport Train by 2033

[@desrender4893]

why, get off or on at Puinui, and there's buses every few minutes to and from the airport.

[@norebab3818]

@@desrender4893 but if you live toward the southwestern rout (as mentioned in the video) you'll have to trawl through congestion just to get anywhere close to the southern train line, then puhinui and so forth

[@mai.vancon]

The bus driver not bothering to go around the roundabout 😂

[@PaulG.x]

Those level roundabouts are like that so long vehicles can drive straight over them 🙄

[@vincelongman3264]

@@PaulG.x Ideally, heavy vehicles should only mount those with a single side of wheels and still drive around the roundabout. That's so if there's an accident, its lower speed and not a head-on or t-bone collision (which is the main advantage of a roundabout vs a regular intersection)

[@Fete_Fatale]

No worries, just retrain him for trains :P

[@boomertuxx]

Haha “might is right” 😂😂😂😂

[@mildloser2248]

thats the point. the roundabout is so low specifically so heavy vehicles can go straight over.

[@thedompatrinhoofficial]

Once people start experiencing the benefits of the City Rail Link, they'll become more open to future rail improvements and new projectss

[@kiwiderek2647]

I agree. The CRL will create huge demand for rail. Let's get this done.

[@Mazigaro]

It’s been 10years. CLR has taken far too long ngl

[@HeroMan380]

shouldve been done 30 years ago....

[@FadedPlogger]

Yes, but the next best time is now!

[@WinahhTaylahh]

NZ was still a joke even 30 years ago

[@nickh3720]

Lol 30 years ago was 1995.... they were to busy investing into boat races rather then solid infrastructure projects

[@bartdeking]

Exactly. It is to late and not needed since robotaxis are around the corner. No public transport is needed.

[@explorerjlc1743]

its a waste of money.

[@Dragonfly815]

Should have listened to Sir Dove - Myer Robinson, would have all been finished decades ago!

[@tjfarias102]

Absolutely, Auckland has gotta be the most unorganised city for transport in the western world

[@voongnz]

Can we just throw 1B at China like Vietnam and Pakistan did for their metro lines. Hanoi got 13kms and 12 stations. We don't even need that much. Expected cost overrun typical in projects would still be cheaper than CRL.

[@Auckland-girl]

Well it wasn't but will be

[@PeterMay-v5m]

Middle last century from memory

[@danieleyre8913]

@@tjfarias102 Clearly you haven’t travelled…

[@adsdft585]

Nearly all of this land is owned by KiwiRail and it’s a designated railway corridor. Officially called the Avondale - Southdown link, it’s been in the pipeline for more than 70 years. The plans lay dormant for most of that time until former Transport Minister David Parker prioritised the 10km link in his 2023 draft Government Policy Statement for Land Transport. . Labour's influence. In the period 1949 to 1984 National failed to build this line as planned in 1949.

[@chrismckellar9350]

National encouraged motorway construction that has created the chronic car congestion Auckland is now experiencing.

[@grandmundi7107]

@@chrismckellar9350go to Tokyo and see how many more motorways they have. It’s not either or, okay?

[@britishmalayasociety]

​@grandmundi7107 Second largest developed democracy besides the US. Obviously they'll have more motorways. But they also have a lot of rail, shinkansen, and soon, maglev.

@@chrismckellar9350 Yes but so did Labour.

[@grandmundi7107]

@@britishmalayasociety As I said, it's not either or! There can be more motorways AND more rails.

[@wyzeguy_23]

I'll be old and grey until I see this happen

[@bartdeking]

I hope you will never see it. Waste of money.

[@robw5735]

Bear a thought for those who thought this will happen in their life time during those 70 years that gone by and now no longer with us.

[@georgewinner4818]

Were you just born 😅

[@Highland_Beastie]

​@@bartdekingWhy do you think its a waste of money?

[@bartdeking]

@Highland_Beastie because what we need is more roads. They are cheaper and cars bring you from A to B on the exact moment you want it. Besides that robotaxis are around the corner and they will drive you anywhere for less cost than public transportation.

[@DonaldMovies]

Yes! This is incredible. Now get on and do it before its canceled!

[@BigBlueMan118]

I dont know If I would describe this as "incredible" personally, for Sure it has some benefits and improves the wider catchment but If I were in charge I would be spending the money on Level crossing removals on the busier existing lines and then getting on with a surface light rail.

[@danieleyre8913]

@@BigBlueMan118This will make a lot of other improvements possible and more convenient. It is the logical next upgrade for Auckland’s railway network.

[@BigBlueMan118]

@@danieleyre8913 yes thats true but it won't result in the kind of massive frequency increase for example Sydney or Melbourne's new tunnels will until they remove level crossings and spend a lot more on further upgrades, therefore I can't quite describe it as incredible yet.

[@danieleyre8913]

@@BigBlueMan118 Well it will allow other big improvements that seem impressive.

[@BigBlueMan118]

@danieleyre8913 fair enough

[@Aggieappa]

This will form an isthmus circle line. Like London, Moscow, seoul, Tokyo and so many other cities around the world have. The trains will run in a circle from the cbd to the current eastern line, and then into the southdown to Avondale line and back up the current western line to Kingsland and the cbd again. Circle lines create the best networks and connectivity. Each station on the circle line is a hub with connections to that part of the city so the city is easy to navigate by public transport. Just jump on the circle line and transfer north, east, south or west when you need to. The circle line will have access to otahuhu to stop/start services.

[@atannyboy]

100%

[@mattbear4802]

Circle lines aren't that good if you don't separate the line onto its own tracks. A continuous loop has no endpoint to layover at or way to regain time. If it shares tracks with radial passenger lines and freight trains, any delay on ANY service that shares those tracks will domino across the whole network and cause mass disruption. This is what happened with the London Underground Circle Line and why it was turned into a spiral. This is also what happens with the Inner and outer Link buses, and why the outer link isn't a complete circle anymore.

[@Aggieappa]

@@mattbear4802 otahuhu can be used to stop/start trains. It's already there. Trains don't bunch as much as buses that have to interact with traffic. Londons circle line ran for over 100 years as a circle, but was only changed as it intersects with 2 or 3 other lines. This auckland one will only intersect with one other line. And there is a possibility of separating it further. Moscow x 2, seoul, Tokyo, glasgow, London for 120 years, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, guongzhou, Harbin, Osaka, dehli, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Berlin, Madrid are some of the cities worldwide that run circle train lines. So they all seem to think that it's fine.

[@ptewiki6598]

I first heard of this when I started school, in Onehunga, in 1952. I don't expect to see this happen.

[@tjfarias102]

@@ptewiki6598 fun fact during ww2 the yanks wanted to build for us transmission gully, they said it would take 2 years or so to build. It was only completed fully last year by us ?? Nz is so behind on things

[@danieleyre8913]

@@tjfarias102Fun fact: That is a complete load of fiction fabricated by some journalist from the evening post. The US marine corps had a war to win, they didn’t have time to build roads that 1940s automobiles couldn’t handle.

[@tjfarias102]

@danieleyre8913 you would be surprised what they could have done in nz at the time, americans where light years ahead with road construction and other infrastructure projects, Ardmore was initially a bomber training base that the yanks help to build during the war, they put it together quicker than expected

[@norebab3818]

billions of dollars and still no rail access to the airport? The biggest congestion on that route is via aiport so why not focus access there?

[@Michaelthekiwi]

Exactly my thought as well - linking the Southern Line to the airport will take hundreds of cars off the road everyday as a reliable connection to the airport will make the taxis that currently clog up those roads redundant.

[@Oliver-zm2ho]

It's a start at least

I took the link between Puhinui and the airport and there was barely anyone on it! The airport buses in Wellington and Christchurch looked far more utilised.

[@norebab3818]

To reach the airport, you first need to take a bus to the train station, then a train to Puhinui, and finally transfer to the Puhinui bus. This convoluted process results in excessive time, cost, and effort, making it an impractical option for most travelers. In contrast, an Uber or personal car is far more economical and convenient. It's no surprise the bus is often empty-it's simply not a viable choice.

[@morererecords]

Here's a list of cities/ airports that dont have rail connection. ( Melbourne, Los Angeles, La Guardia NYC, Berlin just got one two years ago before there was Tegel with the same system as Auckland has , Rio de Janeiro and the list goes on and on. Auckland airport is a very low volume many cities around the world as small as Auckland with such low volume dont really need a airport rail connection, just the fact of being a small country on the otherside of the world New Zealand doesnt get a lot of visitors comparably speaking, smarter is to create a new line from airport to manukau in the future to create that rail connection and or then to onehunga aswell , it will happen with time but this connection is more important for multiple factors

[@Albanynorthshore]

Kiwi is good for doing nothing but talk.

[@Mexzot]

They should run a passenger line through a tunnel from the port to devonport and up to barrys point road and then run rapid trains up the northern bus line. This will take a massive amount of traffic off the bridge, open rail up to the north, start to solve all the traffic issues on the shore etc. Then they could run another tunnel / line over to Kauri Point from the west and actually start to make a network that could actually make car ownership in auckland less of a necessity!

[@Chris-NZ]

The city rail link cost $1.6 billion a km . Devonport to Barrys point is about 6km , thats $9.6 billion plus the under harbour section of 2.5km and what ever that would cost. Let’s say a nice round $13 billion minimum in today’s dollars without even considering any land purchases for egress, never going to happen. You could give every person in the country a decent e-bike for less than that which would have a profound effect on car usage.

[@morererecords]

It will happen but probaly not in our lifetimes, I think people still dont realise how small of a city Auckland really is, where is the people to pay the rates/ taxes to pay for that

[@Chris-NZ]

@ Exactly, by world standards Auckland has a low population but its very spread out and divided by a large harbour. Our population and GDP struggles to provide for these projects and the only way to get people on them is to highly subsidise fares . Of course few places across the globe have Public transport thats profitable.

[@bartek_ewertowski]

Finally an East-West rail line! Can't wait to ride it.

[@crazycatlady2744]

I'm all for this, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[@ahorrell]

I had a lot of thoughts about this project, but you've already expressed them perfectly.

[@jasonkingbw5690]

I feel like rail lines from the CBD to the Airport, and CBD to North Shore is far more important than whatever this route is.

[@Me-ui1zy]

Its called a network. Auckland has a wheel spoke design which is inefficient Connecting to the North Shore is more important agreed, but also complicated and been made extremely political by successive govts. Connecting to the airport is fine but frankly way overvalued in peoples brains as an asset. Connecting Mangere would be really amazing. But this has enormous value

[@philippefm]

They can't do a rail spur to the airport without taking freight off the main trunk line

[@NZTotem]

When Brisbane Airport put in the train service to the city and beyond, it had a cost overrun in the billions, had few passengers, and was lambasted as an absolute waste of money. However, any new public transportation takes time to build up the numbers, and after a few years, it won over the sceptics.

[@Emmanuel4334]

Another way of saying u gotta spend if u wana make money ​@@NZTotem

[@Emmanuel4334]

This line is very important and will serve very well in terms of passengers and freight, freight trains can bypass through this line to south down marchalling yard which will cut down faster then going thru Newmarket etc. Passengers can finally have a train from Wesley and Mt Roskill and onehunga will get a new station.

[@runforrestrun1965]

Missing the Shore entirely? That’s about100,000 people or more not being catered for. At least put a ring route for goodness sake.

[@Keepitsimple183]

😂😅 catch a bus to the train station.. Nobody is on the buses so good aye..😮😮😂😂

[@WayToManyAssassins]

They don't care about the shore apparently

[@morererecords]

Shore has the Bus line which is not even near capacity , this link doesnt even exist yet

[@puffinjuice]

And east. All we got is a crappy busway!

[@danieleyre8913]

@@puffinjuiceBusway better than nothing. And it can be converted to some form of light rail in the future.

[@redbaron1901]

For freight movements, East-West corridor potentially allows for the establishment of inland port in North-west Auckland. There are quite a few infrastructure planning details to work through but a Northwest inland port would free up yard capacity at Metroport and despite the rail dog-leg could also assist POAL.

[@sicboi]

It's an embarassment how far behind NZ is to the world when it comes to transportation systems. In contrast to Australia, it trails far behind even in comparison to developing countries like Indonesia and Malaysia where one can get to the city centre for the airport in less than 30 minutes by rail. NZ decision makers are so typically Kiwi in indecision about spending and building anything because of this reason or that reason, all the waffling about of decades of politicians and council members of Auckland who keep passing the buck on to someone else to decide so that they can boo and hiss from the safety on the back of the room. This project will be dfinitely one for the 'I"ll believe when I see it."

[@WinahhTaylahh]

Finally, a kiwi that knows the facts and doesn't just cope hard and live in a baseless bubble of denial when it comes to reality, well said champ 👍

[@JohnDavis-dw8dc]

And if you live on the North Shore ...you catch the train in 3025!!! Maybe....about 150 years behind were we should be...

[@adsdft585]

National chose to build roads during the period 1949 to 1984 ( government for 28 years) rather than rail. They did not build a rail line to Howick either. See the current problems.

[@WayToManyAssassins]

​@adsdft585 not nationals fault really, it's been nearly a century and other governments haven't invested anything towards it.

[@puffinjuice]

Would that make it 1000 years behind?

[@cashman5355]

Try 2035

[@danieleyre8913]

@@WayToManyAssassins Well Labour was only in power for the 6 years, 12 years apart, between 1949 and 1984. Not much that they could do from the opposition benches.

[@jihyuksus]

Knowing nz this will take atleast 30 years to complete Hopefully I get to see it finished in my lifetime

[@glennfolau6959]

I really feel that Auckland has "missed the bus", with its public transport system. Yes, things have improved, and become modernised, and the city fathers are starting to "think big", in terms of "what's next". The thin isthmus means that there is limited room for expansion, but getting cross city, at an affordable price should be a priority.

[@Digmen1]

The guy in the video in his op shop jersey gives you full confidence

[@dystortia6626]

Grew up in the house below herd road and always knew it was railway land. Cant believe theyre finally talking about it. Still going to be a while before they even start it seems though. It will be an absolute major job.

[@sparkystevo1]

Great idea, make it happen

[@ygbrecords7512]

brilliant. more please

[@nickh3720]

Amazing how much land kiwirail/the government owns ready for projects

[@growtocycle6992]

It will probably sell all the assets for nothing, too... When they are actually profitable. Like our airports, power generators, social housing... 😰

[@dogmannz]

What surprises me especially given the latter part of the process, that when the railways were privatized, those private owners didn't flog off all this land given how much it is worth.

[@dogmannz]

@@growtocycle6992 you forgot telecom

[@neilstanley5565]

In the year 2929

[@Auckland-girl]

Fabulous, asap please, great route also...ofcourse you'll hear kiwis banging on with the usual ... we can't afford it, who's paying for it, then every few years ...we want better infrastructure lol, just ignore them and build

[@cashman5355]

Your on point with this call

[@danieleyre8913]

Hear hear. I’m from Wellington and I can’t believe the negativity in the comments section here. More people are complaining that 1) It wasn’t already built years ago or 2) They’re not building a line to the north shore or Airport (which would be dumb IMO) or whatever, than celebrating the positive news. How about it thinking about the future and working toward positive outcomes?

[@nork22]

And how long will 11kms of rail take to be built? 20 years?

[@ptewiki6598]

You are an optimist.

[@nork22]

I supposed considering it took 10 years to build 3.5km for City Link.

[@nebuchadnezzar6894]

​@@nork22 CRL was almost completely underground while this is completely on the surface, so it's not really comparable.

[@sheepstreet]

@@nebuchadnezzar6894 3.5km for 10 years.. Underground railway of this length could probably be completed in less than a month in East Asian countries.🙄

[@nork22]

@nebuchadnezzar6894 Please... you expect Auckland City Council to get this done in less time vs CRL? You gotta be kidding.

[@freedomkenny3793]

Build northshore a rail line while at it😂

[@hemaiananiseni5132]

Hard out. I'll be keen to catch a train up to Albany lol 👏

[@BigBlueMan118]

I personally think the North Shore would be better+more cheaply served by light rail

[@morererecords]

It will happen along the bus line however the Bus line is still not even near capacity

[@dixienormous1481]

not in our lifetime 😂

[@wlp7899]

For only 64 trillion dollars and 700 years

[@matthewsmith7740]

I laughed when Bunnings was used as a well understood landmark.

[@mrmoses2434]

how do the benefits stack up to replacing the rail enabled ferries? is cutting some aucklanders commute by 15 mins really more important?

[@danieleyre8913]

The debacle with the ferries isn’t a sacrifice to get this built.

[@Aggieappa]

**This needs to have a transfer station when it hits the onehunga line. It's crazy to have te papapa station short of the onehunga line and then not have a transfer station!!! . All rail networks are built on transfer hubs so we can create a network, rather than just individual lines.

[@danieleyre8913]

@@Aggieappa It’s planned to one day double-track, grade separate, and extend the Onehunga branch into Mangere. When that happens: The two stations on the branch will be replaced by one 9-car platform, that will interchange with this station’s platform.

[@Aggieappa]

OK. As long as that happens. Are you involved with the planning?.

[@Oracle842]

New Zealand will change all areas of transportation in the future.

[@jowang6883]

50 years later in the future

[@PaulG.x]

Yes - except it will be horses pulling carts

[@Poviddy]

Meanwhile, never mind the aging Harbour Bridge or running any kind of rail AT ALL to the North Shore. Edit: Wrote my original comment halfway through the video - as always it's all irrelevant anyway, no actual money allocated to do the thing. Like North Shore rail, the bridge, airport link and countless other projects - it will never happen anyway.

[@ataxpayer723]

And which parts of the NS would have stations and how many will be needed? Will there be one next to your house?

[@russb10]

It's in the fast-track process and the government has put up the money to make a case there. The cost will likely be around the same as any one of the six most costly Roads of National Significance already announced - about $3 billion - with the important difference that the rail line will actually earn revenue. By contrast, a new harbour crossing is going to come in around the $10 billion mark, and that's without building a whole new North Shore rail network. I actually think the numbers look okay.

[@mjcats2011]

What Auckland has done is remarkable. Just 30 years ago the network was falling to bits , a freight network with the occasional passnger services running on it with just 1 million per annum. It despite its flaws had improved out of sight.

[@danieleyre8913]

Nice to see a positive comment. Auckland must be the most negative city on earth. Most of the comments I see here are negative.

[@WinahhTaylahh]

It's called reality and facts my epic cope lord, NZ is a joke with almost anything that matters or is integral for a supposedly fully developed and sovereign country/economy and it really always has been, working past the 'she'll be right' and 'whataboutism' collective form of denial is the first major step to recovery and eventual progress and prosperity for us all whereas ridiculous coping and denying of the numerous issues in NZ has obviously never got us anywhere.

[@adrianpilkington9839]

@@danieleyre8913 That's because Auckland Transport have been doing a dismal job. Look at all the judders bars on our roads which have cost millions and achieved what?! We the rate payers have been paying for all this. No wonder people aren't positive.

[@marnoster]

Finally…the Bus from Titirangi to mt Wellington used to take almost 1.5 hours in the morning

[@andreschuurman1053]

Perhaps you could move

[@海洋音樂-g6e]

You'll always fail because of too much consultations and health & safety. Not saying H&S isn't important, but there need to be a balance

[@tme8345]

It’s the last sentence for me hahaha I was almost sold on the idea

[@hipsonsogbo]

New Zealand's economy will be a big issue as we go forward into the future, NZ really struggles to build a convenient and efficient city with a high standard of living

[@adudeontheinternet2675]

Certainly a better investment than 13 billion or so for tax cuts for landlords xD

[@was-a-very-fat-fish]

The route is a bad idea though onehunga, the is lots of houses and gardens it should go form Southdown along the waterfornt to the current Onehunga station and along the motorway to Mt Roskill

[@danieleyre8913]

@was-a-very-fat-fish The railways have owned the land for decades, there’s no other options. They’re just those low quality timber weatherboard houses, they can be replaced and probably will be (with terraced housing or blocks of flats).

[@was-a-very-fat-fish]

@@danieleyre8913 there are no permanent houses on the kiwi rail land just community gardens (the OPG) and school prefabs. But there are other options, Waka Kotahi who should be in charge of rail (not Winston Peters) has lots of land by the motorway in Onehunga that ALR decided was good for both light and heavy rail. This is another viable option that will have all the same benefits without problems. It will Connect better to AKL's rail network, better conect the suburbs of Māngere (with a upper Onehunga station there will be no need for a lower one) and, hey, it will save money (the motorway is all ready flat), thats what this government is all about right?!

[@danieleyre8913]

@was-a-very-fat-fish No. They need it to be mainline and be used by freight movements. And they can’t make a move on any major works on the existing corridor, such as lengthening platforms for 9 cars, or widening for another line, until this is done first. It’s the next piece in the puzzle. Light rail down Dominion road is a garbage idea pushed by dubious charlatans and it’s been buried forever.

[@robw5735]

This project is impossible for Auckland to accomplish, they cant even build a second Harbour crossing or a train from puhinui station to the airport let alone a 11km corridor of railway tracks and stations from scratch.

[@Hoovinshmoovin24-7]

2nd harbour crossing isn't happening because successive national and labour governments have made it a huge political football and decided its better to blame each other for not doing it and say 'ohh look how much x party is going to throw at another frivolous project' rather than actually doing it because it would be beneficial to Auckland

[@wlp7899]

11 km mostly above ground, under the harbour is underground, that is the reason of the cost

[@Layforce88]

Seriously, I hope this happens, not only is it a great idea and as usual for Auckland counsel, LONG overdue, but it'll be a lot of work for people and businesses

[@Cumulo9]

if spending so much already, why not switch to standard gauge. not only would the trains be faster, way more stable and less wobbly, but also would ironically be cheaper since it's easily sourced internationally.

[@StateHighway1F]

When is the harbor rail crossing going to be built

[@utkarshsharma3022]

Why cant they send a line up the shore? There is zero rail in the north shore😊

[@Chris-NZ]

@@utkarshsharma3022 but there is a bus way. What is the magic of a train?

[@zacwicht3189]

they chose to build the bus way instead of a harbor crossing for the trains , another harbor crossing is another overdue transport project , as you see the harbor bridge is a bottleneck

[@Chris-NZ]

@@zacwicht3189 and its getting worse at the shore expands north, the 5/3 traffic configuration in the peaks isn’t as effective as it was years ago. It doesn’t help that our Mayor thinks a new bridge across a reef and ending up in suburban Birkenhead is some kind of good idea. Millions spent on a new harbour crossing studies , a gravy train for NZTA’s tame consultants but zero action.

[@zacwicht3189]

@@Chris-NZ if they put that bridge in they should add a motorway with a few off ramps that links up to another motorway (18 or 1 between Albany and silverdale) (im guessing its a north carry on from 20 the point it T sections 16 as the city side)

They can't conveniently link the north shore to the current mainline railway network. There are plans to change the busway to a light rail or light metro system in the future, and tie it in with building the second harbour crossing.

[@kaewsa_7608]

Nexttt? We haven't even finished the current one yet

[@dmitrii_kornilov]

How about finishing the past projects and making them reliable and accurate transport? :)

[@lucasNZL]

It'll take them 100 years to build this, if they ever build it 🥱

[@Cameronsutubes]

Some on these Kiwi rail people are graduates on STM , chair and phone $30 an hr

[@growtocycle6992]

Haven't even finished the central trail link yet.... This sounds great, but get that done first!! 🤦

[@kenwongsa5273]

How long the construction will take ? Hope I live long enough to see it.

[@ataxpayer723]

Answer: 15 years.

[@notapplicable89]

with the way NZ tends to build these types of projects you will be lucky to have this completed by 2040

[@markrutherford6010]

No we don’t have the money.Second harbour bridge won’t happen for the same reason. National stadium downtown won’t happen too. There always lots of talk but absolute no action.

[@4WDNorth]

Aus and NZ are always behind in rail infrastructure compared to other countries

[@danieleyre8913]

@@4WDNorth Not sure what Australia has to do with anything. But NZ’s railways are more behind than Australia’s are.

[@wlp7899]

Australia surburban rail is pretty good

[@danieleyre8913]

@@wlp7899 That depends upon where in Australian and which suburbs.

[@WinahhTaylahh]

Lol, nah....that's only NZ😂

[@danieleyre8913]

@@WinahhTaylahh Nope Australian railways are generally bad too. Almost no railways in Tasmania, and no passenger trains of any description. No local railways for Wollongong, Geelong, nor the Sunshine coast. And the local railways for Newcastle and the hunter valley are just laughable. The light railways in Canberra and the Gold Coast still don’t serve most of the cities. And there are still large areas of the state capitals not served by rail.

[@martynnewby6298]

If you started tunnel boring now you would eventually get the job done more quickly and cheaper without dividing already divided communities. Further by re starting the Ministry of Works and building technical competency you would create a new national business and also some pride.

[@Chris-NZ]

The public service has been well drained of all the steady heads from the 60’s and 70’s when job security meant a career and a reason to be loyal to your employer- that’s long gone in the public sector.

[@secretsanctuaire8217]

The train that takes us to the airport???

[@Fete_Fatale]

Don't hold your breath.

[@andreschuurman1053]

Was on the plans but this government cancelled it

[@secretsanctuaire8217]

@@andreschuurman1053 where was this plan?

[@WayToManyAssassins]

​@@andreschuurman1053 source??

[@atannyboy]

Yep

[@Mylifebyon6424]

wen will the water problems be sorted

[@UsmanMughal-lm8pp]

What is the point if always cancelled or. No service eastern western or southern whole year around 😵‍💫

[@danieleyre8913]

@@UsmanMughal-lm8pp You do understand that that is just temporary, right?

[@Hoovinshmoovin24-7]

Brillant, Auckland desperately needs more rail. the only way we will fix our traffic problems is if we have less cars on the roads and more people taking public transport.

[@RoBoTNiKaa]

Do it

[@philleach6271]

I liked the last few words. “No money allocated to building it”😂 never going to happen

[@saregama-r8td]

13 Billion for landlords this sounds like chump change

[@wekiwisdofly85]

And still nothing to the airport 🤦🏽

[@susanpockett4314]

Unbelievable that, isn't it. When is Auckland going to move into the 20th century, let alone the 21st?

[@norebab3818]

I know right, at this point its deliberate

[@wekiwisdofly85]

And all this should be going underground but that last part where they said “no money!” 🤦🏽

[@danieleyre8913]

@@wekiwisdofly85 why should this be underground?!

[@wekiwisdofly85]

@danieleyre8913 Why not?

[@lukelukelulu]

Rail needs to be linked west to north shore and north shore to britomart

[@MoxyInxs-xv6qe]

Re: Nelson from Auckland Our thoughts are with Adam and Lynn’s family. Kia kaha

[@spljapan]

Get the Chinese here and it will get done in 5 years.

[@1daftpunk]

Ok let's get digging

[@KarlStephen-l4u]

Western Line grade separation is more urgent if you want the CRL to work otherwise expect 40 minute railway crossing closures during rush hour.

[@Rayzajw]

I can't wait when the start this, In 30 years time

[@strawlegalmanfiction5299]

What an opportunity to launder and miss appropriate money, just like the big motorway project. You know it's going to happen.

[@Terrestrial..1]

Get the first rail system regularly working BEFOR they start another line and make it's CEO's responsible.

[@quinciniho]

Cutting across 27 roads seems like a terrible idea, if only railways could be built underground 🙄

[@danieleyre8913]

It’s only Onehunga. And some of this crossings will be grade separated.

[@ezrawilson6125]

Well hopefully this one doesn't cost a few hundred Mill for no track

[@Digmen1]

Passenger rail That is a worry to start with Do they clowns every come up with cast iron numbers of passenger ast and what times And how much would the fares need to be?

[@magillanz]

By 2050? Surely extending a rail line to the airport is more important? How many houses to knock down?

[@chrismckellar9350]

Avondale - Southdown link is more important that Airport to city rail, due to the Northport being one of two major container terminal with the other at Tauranga.

[@ataxpayer723]

SOLUTION: Take the train to Puhinui Station. Take the elevator. Transfer to the AirportLink electric bus, that runs every 10 minutes

[@chrismckellar9350]

@@ataxpayer723 - Especially, payment is now with contactless payment.

[@dominictarrsailing]

Lets get this country back on track! Train tracks!

[@Grimasaurus]

They aren't building new lanes anywhere, and yet every year a fresh batch of kids hits the workforce. If the building of AFFORDABLE rail isn't added to more of Auckland soon, god help anyone having to travel to the CBD in several years time.

[@charliesk1]

Looking forward to it.... .......

[@williamhutchinson7]

They always leave things for when prices are so high

[@squirrelnuts007]

Reinstating passenger rail to Helensville would be far more cost effective and useful.

[@nicknz100]

Sounds great until there needs to be some maintenance work done or the trains break down...

[@nebuchadnezzar6894]

​@@Chris-NZ This isn't even about the shore.

[@ataxpayer723]

It is not the trains that break down. It is the under-investment in track maintenance.

[@MrKevotoo]

When, another 100 years?

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

Awesome 🛤

[@CWST87]

Would be great for the network. But this idea has been around longer than David Gordon. Cant see it happening.

[@anneliu3816]

Happy my tax to contribute NZ’s infrastructure projects.

[@davegroves4004]

I hope it's an Aucklander who posted that. We're paying for yer roads as it is.

[@zealman79]

Already have the most expensive per km rail build in human history on the CRL, why not add another project...honestly, what a drain on the NZ economy...whats the CBA on this? 100 year pay off?

[@Baratheon.]

100% money laundering when projects go billions over budget and it's not written in contract that the government / taxpayers do not pay overexpenses.

[@jimmy5353]

$3.9m just for consenting ... what a joke. the consultants who got the job must be laughing out loud

[@matty665]

Railway is definitely the way to go it always was. But maybe not only Auckland. We gotta get the main SH1 sorted, double lanes each side, then focus rail way with will reduce the amount of trucks on the road.

[@morererecords]

You can thank National for the trucks on the road

[@michaelfulcher3919]

Why not put it all underground?

[@announcer1356]

Do you know how much work that is

[@susanpockett4314]

That's what Dove Meyer Robinson wanted to do, WAY back in time. But noooo -- too sensible.

[@michaelfulcher3919]

@announcer1356 weigh up the value of the result, including the value of the land that has not been taken up by rail.

[@danieleyre8913]

@@michaelfulcher3919Railways have owned the route for decades already.

[@ataxpayer723]

1. cost. 2. cost to build stations. 3. safety, especially at night, 4. cost

[@Taiwan-NZ]

North Harbour new bridge is more urgent than this light rail!

[@danieleyre8913]

This isn’t light rail. It’s extending the mainline.

[@petelosuaniu]

This land corridor is already designated for rail and no housing needs to be bulldozed. It’s a no brainer. Build it!

[@vertigoalopolus]

We have to stop harping on about the cost of infrastructure. Its expensive, it always is. Thats just the cost of being a functional nation. Get over it already and build.

[@Toe_toe624]

Where is botany and howick stations?

[@ataxpayer723]

Last time I looked on a map Howick was no where near Avondale or Onehunga

[@stuartneary3067]

Get the China rail to build it then it will be done once and right and in record time without all the gravy train bludgers dragging it out for years

[@antontsau]

it requires to convert all kiwis to Chineses first, to work for cup of rice 70h/week and live in 50storey chikencoops.

[@stuartneary3067]

@antontsau You misunderstood what I stated is give the entire project to the Chinese If you had experienced train travel in China then you would have a Better understanding Also many Chinese Also live in houses In city's equally as good as ours also not all apartments are equal to you stereotype

[@janechao9604]

If we did decades ago, it wouldn't be a billion-dollar project.

[@marksharmanmusic1]

Sounded exciting until the last line. No money. Infrastructure projects in nz take decades, if not longer. We need to be brave and start tolling new roads, toll a new harbour bridge and encourage foreign investment. Too many decades have gone by talking and planning ‘much needed’ projects which never get off the ground

[@JessethebestJesse]

I would very happily pay a little more tax so we can actually build this sort of thing. Can we just get on and do it??

[@pabloznotti6883]

all that money you were going to waste on bringing back trams (light rail🥺) would be much better spent here.

[@justinluckhoff]

shame, poor little NZ thinking it can pull something like this off. and for a million people only. over budget and at least a couple decades to try finish. leading from the back once again.

[@danieleyre8913]

So do you think New Zealand should do nothing instead or something?

[@Vespene]

Auckland has the largest population of the country and northbound traffic on the motorway has been an issue for decades. Speaking as someone who took the train into Britomart for work for 7 years It isn't just "for a million people"

[@WayToManyAssassins]

Still waiting on trains to the north shore 😂

[@ataxpayer723]

Where on the North Shore. Should we build a train station next door to your house?

[@WayToManyAssassins]

@@ataxpayer723 Down where the busway goes all the way to orewa