1. In our view the Jacobs “SMART Indicative Business Case” report underestimates the potential catchment of heavy rail, we assume because of the arbitrary requirement for a single seat journey to the airport.

2. We consider that some of the costs of heavy rail attributed to the airport heavy rail option will most likely be incurred anyway – in particular work required around level crossings.

3. We consider there is a high risk that the predicted Dominion Road journey times for light rail are overly optimistic, depending on the degree of separation from general traffic.

4. Implementation of either heavy rail or light rail from the north of the Airport is likely to be decades away and very costly.

5. Putting aside the report’s assessment of heavy rail vs light rail, we note that the three key problems identified in the Jacobs report do not have to be addressed by a single solution:

a. Constrained access to the Auckland Airport will limit economic growth and productivity;

b. Limited transport choice undermines liveability and economic prosperity for the Mangere – Otahuhu area; and

c. Unaffordable and inflexible planned transport investment constrains access to the Auckland Airport and surrounding business districts and Mangere-Otahuhu area

6. We ask the Board to take the same approach as ATAP in measuring transport effectiveness. In the context of Auckland Airport, the measure would be the potential catchment of public transport users within a 45 minute radius of the Airport. This should not preclude transfers between modes to meet this target and should therefore necessarily examine the option of a transfer at Papatoetoe or Puhinui.

7. We note that the Jacobs report identified that 7,350 daily commuters originate from Manukau and the east, twice as many than that originating from the north and central Auckland.

8. The current Airport 380 bus service connecting at Papatoetoe to rail services yields a fastest possible PT journey time of about 49 minutes from Auckland Airport to Britomart. However, there are a number of issues associated with transferring at Papatoetoe: frequency of service; ease and legibility of transfers, and the lack of a RTN quality right-of-way.

9. It is timely to bring to the attention of the Board that NZTA is currently planning a widening of 20B along the Puhinui Rd alignment for general traffic.

Desired outcomes:

1. As a matter of urgency, AT should work with the NZTA to designate a rail corridor east of Auckland Airport on the 20B alignment with a connection to the main trunk line. This designation work should also consider extending further east to include Botany.

2. Immediately establish a bus shuttle service between Puhinui Station and Auckland Airport, preferably with bus priority measures.

3. Auckland Transport should continue with designating a rail corridor between Onehunga and Auckland Airport.

• Monday 20th July, 7:30pm
• Richmond Road Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road Grey Lynn

Rail to the airport has been a long running project of the CBT – we did our first presentation to the ARC in 2003, urging designation of a rail route from Onehunga to the airport. In 2008 we presented a 10,000 strong petition to the ARC in support of designation. Today the recent announcements of the billion dollar East – West link, along with the fast-tracking of the Kirkbride Rd interchange pose some real challenges. Throw into the mix Auckland Transport’s recent announcement that it is considering light rail, and it is clear that Pete really has his work cut out for him!

All CBT members and newcomers welcome.

Mayor Brown has responded, indicating that a Memorandum of Understanding is being prepared between KiwiRail, Manukau City, ARTA, ARC and Auckland Airport to do exactly that. The exercise will be led by ARTA.

Full response is here.

The Government’s antipathy to embracing new Auckland public transport projects has made the debate over a rail link to Auckland International Airport rather academic.

Which makes it rather surprising that the airport company should be so sensitive about a recent Metro article’s passing mention that it opposed such a link.

A dedicated transport link between Auckland airport and the commercial business district is essential to lift the region’s tourism standing, Tourism Auckland CEO Graeme Osborne says. “My sense is that we are not any closer to that thing materialising. According some greater priority to an airport-CBD link is pretty important.”

Osborne says cities like Dublin and Beijing have invested heavily in dedicated CBD-airport links.

“The trip from the airport to the CBD is absolutely essential to create a positive first impression.”

He says with 1.8 million people coming through Auckland Airport every year – about 70 per cent of international arrivals and departures – an airport-CBD link cannot be left to chance.

“I think the cycleway is a successful new product innovation but I think the house has got to be in order as well. The airport-CBD link is on the list and we have to keep pushing for it.”

The case for investing in visitor infrastructure is strong and extends to better waterfront transport links and improved parking for campervans.

Osborne says the best option for an airport-CBD link is rail but concedes that Dublin and Beijing have successful road links.

But rail has all been ruled out in the short to medium term by Auckland International Airport Ltd. Former chief executive Don Huse told the New Zealand Herald in 2007 the long-term solution for surface access to the airport is public transport, including a rail link to the city, but said completing road networks should come first.

“The capital cost of putting rail in place is enormously expensive. The rolling stock is enormously expensive and running the service is enormously expensive,” he said then.

“We are somewhat sanguine about rail.”

A airport company spokesman said this month the company remained committed to more efficient travel between the CBD and the airport and supported proposals such as “clear routes” to make bus and car travel quicker.

Work is under way on widening Mangere Bridge and its approaches and the long-planned western ring road now extends to Mt Roskill.

 Petition organisers the Campaign for Better Transport have collected over 10,000 signatures in a little over four months. Over 2,000 of those signatures came from the campaign’s website www.bettertransport.org.nz.

“Having spoken to thousands of people, we can truly say that support for the idea is overwhelming. In fact most people ask why we need a petition to do this,” says petition organiser Jon Reeves.

Convenor or the Campaign for Better Transport, Cameron Pitches, agrees.

“The most challenging aspect of the whole campaign so far was going to the Environment Court, where we had to convince Transit, along with officials from the ARC and Manukau City Council, of the need to safeguard a rail corridor to the airport.

“The next challenge is going to be getting Auckland’s transport agencies to act on the petition.”

A report on possible future rapid transport links to the airport is due shortly from the Auckland Regional Transport Authority.

Rising oil prices, which today reached an all time high of $US108 a barrel, are adding further urgency to the campaign.

“The beauty about expanding rail to the airport is that it won’t just provide people flying in and out of the airport with a reliable connection to the city, but it will also provide thousands of commuters in the airport region with an alternative to their cars. Higher oil prices are going to drive more and more people to public transport, and we need to be expanding our rail network and its capacity as a matter of the utmost priority,” concludes Mr Pitches.