KiwiRail undertook maintenance work on the Auckland rail network in 2020 and 2021. Photo / Alex Burton
Transport Minister Michael Wood is under fire from National for keeping Aucklanders in the dark over major disruption on the Auckland rail network.
Auckland commuters face two-plus years of disruption from Christmas on the southern, eastern, western and Onehunga rail lines due to a $330 million Rail Network Rebuild by KiwiBuild.
Wood admitted knowing about the general need for the work since late 2021 in reply to a written question from National transport spokesman Simeon Brown.
The rebuild involves replacing the rock foundations underneath the tracks, some of which haven't been renewed since the Auckland network started being built in the 1870s, to pave the way for more commuter trains when the City Rail Link opens, sometime from late 2024.
The rebuild follows two years of shutdowns and speed restrictions in 2020 and 2021 to replace track and sleepers. Yesterday, KiwiRail closed part of the western line between Avondale and Swanson because of subsidence issues.
Brown said Wood chose to keep Aucklanders in the dark, despite knowing about the $330m rebuild from the end of 2021 and receiving briefings on it all year.
A briefing document released to Brown under the Official Information Act on August 16 this year from KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy outlines the impacts of the works on the Auckland lines.
Following the usual Christmas/New Year network-wide closure, the Southern Line between Ōtāhuhu and Newmarket and the Onehunga Line will remain closed until late-March. Work will then move to the Eastern Line, which will be closed for most of 2023.
In 2024 and 2025, sections of the Western Line and remaining sections of the Southern Line will be closed. Buses will replace train services.
Brown said rail closures will impact tens of thousands of Aucklanders commute to work, with little thought given to alternatives while the rail closures are in place.
"While these works need to happen, the reality is that people won't use public transport if it isn't reliable, and right now it is anything but reliable in Auckland," he said.
Wood told the Herald today that as a regular public transport user, "I acknowledge Aucklanders' frustration at hearing there will be further disruption to their commute."
He said he had been kept updated on progress this year and was advised of the final decision once it had been through the AT Board on September 29.
"I have written to both organisations to reinforce my expectation in this regard and the need for them to communicate with Aucklanders throughout this process.
"Unfortunately, we need to work through this time-limited disruption in order to experience a world-class rail network, which is safe and reliable service," the minister said.
Brown said Wood should have been working with Auckland Transport and KiwiRail to ensure that where closures needed to happen that alternatives would be put in place, including express bus services as replacements for trains.
He also noted the dire situation of public transport in Auckland with little sign of passenger numbers returning to pre-Covid levels and a severe shortage of bus drivers affecting reliability.
In briefing notes to incoming Mayor Wayne Brown, Auckland Transport said it will take three years to return to pre-Covid level numbers of 100 million public transport boardings.
In a report in June this year on the governance of the CRL, Auditor-General John Ryan said AT and KiwiRail have signalled that between now and 2036, a further $7.5b will have to be spent on the rail network to realise the full benefits of the CRL.
KiwiRail and AT are developing a business case for this work. Last year, the Herald reported the cost was $6.7b for additional tracks and trains, lengthening platforms for nine-car trains, removing all level crossings on the southern and western lines, and a signalling upgrade.
Once these works are complete, the CRL will be able to run at a maximum capacity of 54,000 passengers an hour during peak times. When the CRL opens sometime from late 2024, patronage will rise from 15,000 passengers per hour to 27,000.
Wood said he had made it clear that once the rebuild was completed there should be a "breather" in non-urgent maintenance for commuters to experience the smooth run of services on the CRL-enhanced network.
"The issue is that for decades, there has been a deliberate decision to under-invest and run down our rail infrastructure," he said.