Painful progress on rail corridors deal

By JASON COLLIE

The much-delayed train carrying the fix for Auckland's rail system has failed to reach the station again.

But while there was much gnashing of teeth among the region's mayors yesterday at yet another holdup on rail negotiations, transport planners said Tranz Rail had signalled a big shift in its position.

That concession - to negotiate handing over access to Auckland's rail corridors for rapid transit - grudgingly won from regional political leaders a week's extension of the deadline for an agreement in principle.

To the anger of the Auckland Mayoral Forum, the two sides did not even meet yesterday as the deadline expired because new Tranz Rail managing director Michael Beard was in the United States.

The two sides are arguing over who will run services on the rail corridors Tranz Rail leases from the Government.