Station remains a ?gaping hole

Panmure rail commuters are fed up waiting for construction of a railway station they say has slipped from number one priority to who-knows-when status. Alice Hudson reports
Panmurians want to know if their new railway station will ever open. of main street association Progressively Panmure is fuming and says local people are too, as other Auckland stations earmarked for upgrades have their ''grand openings'' while Panmure's site remains a gaping hole. The station was earmarked in a March 1999 Auckland City Council report as ''number one priority'' for an upgrade, something Ms Mackay now finds ''utterly laughable''. ''We are still waiting. She says a small notice in a wraparound advertising section of a local paper two weeks ago stated simply that the station would now open in December. ''People are very frustrated,'' says Ms Mackay, who claims she is currently referring four people a week to Auckland Regional Transport Authority, the body now in charge of the protracted project. ''It's absolutely appalling how the people have been treated, and now, with all the petrol price rises, for the local authorities to continue to say they are making a commitment to public transport ? they are just playing tokenism to the people of Panmure.'' The new station's progress has been hampered by consent issues and delays. Last November, doubts as to whether it could provide for future electrification of the rail system resulted in contractors ceasing work. Before that, construction was delayed a year owing to issues with the park and ride contract. Former project manager Rex Rewcastle, of Auckland Regional Transport Network, told The Aucklander in April that the new station would be finished by the end of July. Nothing has happened. ''There has been no apology to the ratepayers and commuters,'' says Ms Mackay. ''The authorities did not even have the courtesy to advise the Panmure constituents until this notice. ''It's total arrogance.'' The new station will sit just behind Mountwell Crescent, where the park and ride carpark has been waiting . . . and waiting. ARTA's project manager, John Stokes, would not return calls from The Aucklander. At the time of going to print, the authority's media spokeswoman, Sharon Hunter, said the station was expected to be completed by October, contradicting the December date stipulated in the public notice. She held no information on what was behind the latest delay.