Funds shortfall forces cut in passenger target

Ambitions of almost doubling Auckland public transport patronage over 10 years have been drastically scaled back because of a $700 million regional funding shortfall.

Boosting patronage from 52 million passenger trips a year to 100 million by 2016 is looking unattainable, Auckland Regional Transport Authority chief executive Alan Thompson disclosed last night.

Instead, a target of 78 million passenger trips - a 50 per cent increase - was set because the Auckland Regional Council had allocated $1.6 billion, rather than a requested $2.3 billion.

The council says it would have to raise rates by 17 per cent a year compounded over a decade to meet the gap. Fearing another rates rebellion if it did that, it has assured Aucklanders it will keep rises capped at no more than 5 per cent a year.

Mr Thompson was keen to remain upbeat about public transport, saying it would at least keep growing under a draft funding regime which the regional council has agreed this week to put up for public submissions.

But he acknowledged it would provide only enough to offset about a quarter of a projected increase in morning peak-period traffic over 10 years, or about 10,000 car trips, rather than the 20,000 it had hoped to shift to other forms of transport.

Even so, Mr Thompson expected the public transport system to be in good shape to carry up to 60,000 visitors around the region during the 2011 Rugby World Cup bonanza.

Regional council chairman Mike Lee earlier yesterday fretted that Auckland would fall short of providing a "world-class" transport service for such an internationally acclaimed event.

He said the system would prove adequate, but no more than that, and would fall short of what the region was "crying out for".

Mr Thompson confirmed that the transport budget, unless boosted by Government contributions or other sources such as development levies being investigated by the regional council, was not enough to buy new trains, let alone electric ones.

The Government has indicated there will be no money for electrifying Auckland's rail network for at least three years, although the council remains hopeful ministers will consider a business case due to be presented soon to the transport authority's board.

But Mr Thompson said an expanded order of refurbished British inter-city carriages built in the 1970s would give rugby fans as well as regular rail patrons comfortable enough rides, although they were slower to accelerate out of stations than purpose-built commuter trains.

Council transport policy committee chairman Joel Cayford said legislation was sorely needed to allow regional bodies to levy developers for a share of the cost of extending public transport services to their subdivisions.

Although territorial local authorities are entitled to raise development levies, regional councils are responsible for contracting public transport services and Dr Cayford called on the Government to match any such contributions.