John Banks: Auckland's new track

When it celebrated the opening of the new railway station on Beach Rd in November 1930, the Auckland Star trumpeted the old downtown railway station as serving the city well for 45 years and noted that it would be closed for all time.

The Star did not envisage rail returning to the bottom of Queen St, but this morning, of course, we celebrate just that. Bringing the first passenger train back to downtown Auckland in more than 70 years is a defining and historic moment.

The Britomart transport centre is the largest heritage, transport and urban renewal project undertaken by a local authority in New Zealand. It is an investment by the present generation of ratepayers largely for future generations of commuters.

The $204 million project has been completed on time and on budget. The Auckland City Council, past and present, can be proud of this outstanding achievement. Today we own Britomart debt-free.

Auckland City is strongly committed to improving public transport. If we are to fix Auckland's gridlock traffic, we must give the public every opportunity to get out of their cars and into public transport.

Britomart is a key component of an integrated regional transport network, and I have every confidence the company set up to administer the network, Auckland Regional Transport Network, can run the transport centre to a world-class standard.

My concerns go beyond Britomart. I have long called for a rail business plan, and at the 11th hour the Boston Consulting Group delivered the region an excellent draft.

The blueprint, which aims for 25 million journeys a year (at present it's just 2.24 million) on fast electric trains by 2015, is very ambitious. However, if we are to achieve all we want to in public transport we have to be ambitious.

Unfortunately, the Auckland Regional Council has yet to ratify the Boston group business plan.

It is time for a minority of key players to park their own agendas for the greater good. I look forward to the regional transport network taking responsibility for delivering a hugely improved rail service across the isthmus. This is what is required if we are to make the best use of Britomart and get a return from the huge investment the city has made.

I am committed to a modern, efficient and affordable train service for Greater Auckland.

The region must incrementally electrify the network, with modern trains and stations and safe park-and-ride facilities. While after-dark commuters may feel safe and secure at Britomart, the region must urgently deliver safe and secure stations round Auckland. Many of our suburban platforms are at best Third World and at worst dangerous.

So while this morning's first train is an important milestone, the real challenge is in front of us.

I look forward to the public celebrations on July 26 as part of the opening of Britomart, and will continue pushing for a world-class rail network across Greater Auckland.

* John Banks is Mayor of Auckland.