KEY POINTS:
Auckland's regional leadership has big plans for electric trains to be ready for the 2011 Rugby World Cup - but just how 60,000 fans will converge on Eden Park remains sketchy.
The Auckland Business Forum is also pressing the Government to ensure Transit NZ will have enough cash
to complete key motorway projects between the airport and the central business district.
Motorway extensions through Manukau and Mt Roskill will be built at a combined cost of about $400 million in plenty of time before Auckland's big international showcase.
The 4km Mt Roskill extension will point traffic directly at Eden Park through an interchange at Dominion Rd and its termination at a roundabout to be linked to Sandringham Rd.
But Transit faces big challenges trying to meet targets of replacing the seismically unsound Newmarket Viaduct with a slightly enlarged structure for $150 million and of duplicating the Manukau Harbour motorway crossing for $265 million by 2011, projects which would have to start by early next year to meet the deadline.
Transit is working on final designs for both projects, but admits it may have some "cash-flow" difficulties in getting them started together, and is trying to settle several appeals to the Environment Court against the duplicate harbour crossing.
The business forum and airport company see the existing four-lane bridge as a critical chokepoint in danger of spoiling first impressions of Auckland for arriving sports fans, although the Campaign for Better Transport suggests a less grandiose crossing combined with a rail link.
As for Eden Park, its trust board's hope for a $26 million pedestrian concourse linking the sports ground with the Kingsland railway station has been a casualty of the Government's scaled-down redevelopment plans for the park.
The Government-led Eden Park Development Board now believes it can make do by having a section of Sandringham Rd on cup match closed days to all traffic, including buses, to shepherd fans between the ground and station.
Transport planners have yet to finalise details of infrastructure upgrades around the park, for which Auckland City has an indicative budget of about $21 million.
But regional council chairman-designate Mike Lee yesterday said although he was not responsible for Transit projects' timing, he felt electric trains could be running in time.
He said the region wanted to do better than meeting a goal set by the Government of electrifying Auckland's rail network between Papakura and Swanson by 2013.
"We intend to focus all our efforts on getting electrification in place over a key part of the network [by 2011] - that's our goal, not our promise."
He said Government rail agency Ontrack had indicated it would be feasible to electrify the core network, from Britomart to Otahuhu and to Henderson, before the cup kick-off and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority would also have time to order enough trains.
Even if that target was not met, there would be enough diesel trains available to carry the 15,000 or so fans expected to travel to Eden Park by rail.
Transport planners also expect up to 18,000 spectators to arrive by buses and coaches, including shuttle services from a wide patchwork of "park and ride" areas.
City events group manager Rachael Dacy, a recent recruit who headed Melbourne City's planning for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, expressed confidence that Auckland would be ready for the multitudes due to converge on the park.
She said Auckland was "absolutely on track" to host the rugby cup, and as advanced in its organisational planning as any other city at a similar stage of preparations for such a large international event.
Park development board chief executive Adam Feeley said the $190 million-plus redevelopment would include reducing the number of access points, and increasing chances for fans to move within the ground rather than relying on surrounding streets.
A bus transport hub within the park was included in the plans.