Full ARC Submission on Onehunga Rail
ARC Chair, Mike Lee has supplied us with the full submission to the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee Hearing on the Onehunga Branch Line.
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) is responsible for setting the strategic direction for all transport development within the Auckland region, and to provide the funding (in conjunction with Land Transport New Zealand) for public transport, including “above rail” infrastructure such as trains and stations buses and ferries and for sustainable transport initiatives such as walking and cycling. It is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the Regional Land Transport Strategy (RLTS).
It is also responsible for regional planning under the Resource Management Act 1991, a significant instrument for this is the Regional Growth Strategy and Regional Grown Forum. This is formally supported by all the TLAs of the region. The Growth Strategy’s preferred strategic direction is intensified residential development near transport nodes and corridors. This has been given statutory recognition and further impetus by the objectives of Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Act (2004) which enjoins the ARC to integrate land use and transport.
The ARC is committed to establishing passenger rail as a key part of the Auckland transport network. We are proud of what has been achieved in the last 5 years with passenger boardings growing from some 2.5 million in the June year 2004 to approximately 6 million likely this year and are pleased to acknowledge the vital roles played by ARTA and OnTrack.
The ARC is fully committed to OnTrack’s DART project and the operation of 10 minute services on the core elements of the network.
Support for Future Expansion of Network
Despite considerable investment in double-tracking, new station buildings and rolling-stock, the Auckland rail network is essentially the same configuration and size as it was100 years ago. We believe that there is a strong case for extending the rail network in future – linking the CBD to the Airport via Onehunga and completing the inner city loop from Britomart to Mt Eden, and constructing track on the Avondale Southdown alignment. We believe the routes for these extensions need to be identified and confirmed at an early date so that works along the routes can be future-proofed for later rail developments.
We have consistently argued for Transit NZ’s SH20 Manukau Harbour Crossing to be constructed so as to be future-proofed to accommodate rail and I am pleased to say that the Board of Transit has recently formally acknowledged the wisdom of this, and is prepared to design the bridge accordingly, subject only to resolution of funding issues.
Need to Fully Use Existing Network
While we fully support the DART project (Ontrack’s track upgrade in Auckland) and the network developments described above, we also believe the existing network offers opportunities right now to extend passenger rail at relatively low cost into communities where it could play an important role. We believe we should be actively pursuing additional services south to Pukekohe, west to Kumeu, Huapai and Helensville, and reopening services to Onehunga. With the objective of drawing off more commuter traffic from congested motorways and arterial roads.
Onehunga Branch Line
The ARC has consistently supported reopening the Onehunga Branch line over the last several years, first raising the issue in 2002. The Auckland Regional Council in September 2005, as an outcome of public submissions to the ARC Annual Plan (including a submission from Auckland City Council), resolved to support in principle the reintroduction of services on the Onehunga Branch Line and requested ARTA to consider this proposal in preparing its 2005/06 Land Transport Programme
The ARC repeated its support in June 2006 when in response to submissions to the Long Term Council Community Plan, it resolved to support reopening the line, supporting ARC funding ‘above track’ work subject to Government funding the ‘below track work’, and also supported investigating the feasibility of an airport rail link.
The ARC considers that the Onehunga Branch Line, a transport corridor running through the Auckland isthmus, is currently an underutilised public asset, (in fact it is a totally non utilised public asset) and that the investment required to enable passenger services to be reinstated is modest compared with other rail investments. And further that the anticipated passenger numbers make that modest investment worthwhile.
Onehunga is a growth node under the ARC’s Regional Growth Strategy and is showing a clear trend of dynamic growth and vitality. Connecting Onehunga to the regional rail system would support Onehunga as an important sub regional centre and would integrate transport investment with land use development in this location.
A reopened Onehunga Branch line would enable a rapid transit connection between Onehunga and the CBD and points in between. This could assist the reduction in traffic congestion on Manukau Road, Great South Road and the Southern Motorway. Bus trips from Onehunga to the CBD during the rush hour can often take well over an hour to complete.
The ARC also sees the existing Onehunga Branch line as potentially a key link in a future CBD to Auckland International Airport rail service. This would also mean the inclusion of the important residential suburbs of Mangere into the rail catchment – taking congestion pressure off State Highway 20 and the future additional harbour crossing.
Attractiveness of Passenger Rail
The strong growth in rail passengers in Auckland will be well known to committee members, particularly growth in commuter passengers, where our current problem is lack of sufficient rolling stock to carry the numbers wishing to use rail.
What is less well known is the popularity of rail for special events. Particularly encouraging was the success of rail in carrying patrons to the U2 concert at Mt Smart (in the same neighbourhood as the Onehunga Branch line) in November last year. Overall 25% of concert goers used public transport, with 32,400 trips made by rail over two concerts using the reasonably handy Penrose Station.
A proposed Southdown to Onehunga line.
The ARC strongly supports the proposed future Southdown/Avondale Line which would connect the Main Trunk Line to the North Auckland (western) Line. However we remain to be convinced of the value of a new line proposed by Ontrack and ARTA merely linking Southdown to Onehunga which seems to have been proposed as a theoretical alternative to repairing and maintaining the existing Onehunga Branch Line.
The Southdown to Avondale line was originally proposed as a by-pass around the city for future for Northland bound or sourced heavy freight train movements. While it certainly would have passenger potential, especially if there was an airport link, we would estimate the primary business case for such a considerable investment would still remain freight based. It anyway remains I understand some way off in the future.
It could be said that the alternative Southdown to Onehunga proposal has the advantage in allowing higher operating speeds as it transits a completely industrial area, though this would be largely cancelled out by the longer distance of the proposed line between Onehunga and the CBD. We also note with interest a Mt Smart Stadium station is also conceptualised on this line. While this is well-meant, closer assessment of the area would reveal the entrances to the stadium are located at the north end of the ground closer to the Onehunga Branch Line and the Penrose Station (which is presently used by Mt Smart Stadium patrons).
Unlike the newly proposed Southdown to Onehunga line the existing Onehunga Branch Line transits intensified multiple apartments and units residential areas such as at Malvern Place (adjacent to the site of a former station).
With reference to level crossings. This is certainly a negative aspect of the Onehunga Branch Line. However while the existing line has 8 level crossings
The proposed new line would have 5 level crossings. Perhaps to see this in some proportion on the western line currently being double-tracked there are 17 level crossings though 3 will be removed by the government’s recent decision to underground New Lynn.
We believe therefore that the construction of a new branch line is not a realistic short term alternative to reopening the exisiting Onehunga Branch Line. The possible new line has only preliminary costings and is unlikely to be justified unless as part of a strategic long term investment including connection to the North Auckland Line at Avondale. Development of the long term strategy, including resolving the funding implications, is likely to take sometime.
Summary
The ARC considers that reopening the Onehunga Branch Line is a sensible, pragmatic initiative that should be undertaken in the short term, and which does not prejudice possible later construction of a new line as part of a wider strategic initiative.
We are concerned that an undeveloped proposal for a new line could become an excuse to do nothing and remain in investigation mode, when a realistic alternative exists which could be implemented relatively quickly at relatively low cost, to the immediate benefit of the people of Onehunga and of the wider region.
Reopening the Onehunga Branch Line for passengers and freight is consistent with the Regional Land Transport Strategy, the Regional Freight Strategy, the Regional Growth Strategy and the statutory requirements of the Local Government (Auckland) Amendment Act 2004 which requires for the ARC group to achieve integration of land use and transport and to promote the sustainable development of the Auckland region.
Michael Lee
Chairman, Auckland Regional Council