Auckland transport plans back on track

By JASON COLLIE transport reporter

Auckland commuters could have their upgraded public transport system within four years, after a $65 million deal was struck for the city's rail lines.

Tranz Rail and Auckland political leaders yesterday announced that they had finally reached an agreement to open access to the city's rail corridors for improved public transport services after eight months of, at times, strained negotiations. Tranz Rail will get $65 million to hand over its lease of the western and southern lines between Swanson, the central city and Westfield, plus a further $2 million a year to allow passenger services on the main trunk line running through the east to the south.

Contracts to run new services - either buses, light rail or conventional rail with a frequency of about five minutes during peak times - would then be tendered out. Tranz Rail has confirmed it will be one of those bidders.

Auckland Regional Council transport director Barry Mein said yesterday that he hoped the deal would lead to the promised public transport system running by 2004.

"Our service contracts expire in June 2003 and we would be looking for something around 2003-2004," he said. "There is a question mark about that time because you can't just buy trains off the shelf."

Auckland's local councils, Infrastructure Auckland, the central Government and Transfund will foot the $65 million bill, but Mr Mein said he could not reveal how it would be split.

However, there was criticism that $65 million to buy back rail lines sold by the Government seven years ago was too much and only gained access without the needed service and station improvements.

A Campaign for Public Transport spokesman, Steve Doole, said: "A cost of $65 million is a disaster to get back what was ours, but at least we are moving forward.

"It's disappointing it has taken so long and so much money is changing hands for nothing on the ground."

The deal is only in principle, with talks continuing on several details, including systems to run passenger and freight trains on the same tracks. Both sides hope to sign a heads of agreement late this month, with final settlement on September 30.

The deal buys the rights to stations and associated land around the tracks, as well as taking over the rights Tranz Rail had for an Avondale to Southdown line.

Freight trains will run on the western and southern lines in the early hours. Passenger services on the main trunk line will get about 30 per cent of the daily capacity, or 150 trains.

The deal comes just over a week after it seemed negotiations were doomed as the deadline for an agreement in principle loomed last Thursday.

A phone call from new Tranz Rail managing director Michael Beard in America convinced Auckland politicians to extend the deadline a week and the company and the region's negotiator, Richard Maher, met on Tuesday.

The Mayoral Forum agreed to the deal yesterday. Forum head Bob Harvey said: "Now, after years of delays and months of tough negotiations, we have finally come to an agreement that is a significant step towards easing Auckland's congestion problems."

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