- Auckland city centre rail tunnel
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An indicative overview of the planned (as of 2011) route of the CBD rail tunnel, with the three new stations linked to Britomart. The project could potentially also include major modifications to the Mt Eden Station at the southern end.
An Auckland, New Zealand city centre / CBD rail tunnel (variously called 'tunnel', 'deviation', 'loop' or 'link' over the decades) has been proposed at various times during Auckland's history. All schemes, to differing degrees, propose to increase the capacity of the network, add new connection and/or train stations in the city centre or nearby suburbs, and reduce journey times for train passengers.
Recently, the name 'loop' has been changed to link, to emphasise that the proposal would benefit much of the region via unlocking new rail capacity, and to avoid it being mistaken for circular train route around the Auckland city centre.[1][2] In a substantial poll organised by the New Zealand Herald in mid 2011, the tunnel found strong favour among Aucklanders (63% in favour, despite the high price tag), and was also seen generally positive by New Zealanders outside of Auckland (48% in favour), with both scores significantly higher than the numbers of Aucklanders and other New Zealanders favouring the 'Puhoi to Wellsford' motorway project which is often contrasted with the CBD tunnel project.[3]
Planning history
- 1920s Morningside Deviation
Serious planning schemes occurred as early as the 1920s.[2][4] The tunnel was initially estimated at 1.75 miles length and at ₤0.6 million.[5] In the 1930s, the Minister of Railways argued that the scheme - then known as the 'Morningside Tunnel' or the 'Morningside Deviation', after the proposed southern portal location - would cost approximately ₤1 million, with another ₤1 million required for the electrification of the network. He expressed doubts that the tunnel would ever pay from a purely rail point of view, though he acknowledged that there might be other benefits and wider aspects to take into account.[6]
- 1970s Rapid Rail System
The 1970s plans envisaged the loop connecting with Newmarket instead of Mount Eden. The plan failed because the Muldoon National government considered it to be too costly.[7]
- 2000s Rail Revival / Britomart
The Auckland Regional Council in the 2010s prepared preliminary plans for an underground railway connecting Britomart Transport Centre to the Western Line and a new station at Mt Eden.[8] The underground link is projected to place the inner city within a 30 minutes travel for around 370,000 people.[9] However, due to the significant costs and difficulties associated with a project of this size, the future of the project is uncertain. Increased population density around transport corridors and sustained petrol price growth may combine to make it project more attractive in the medium term, and the decision to electrify the area network has brought the tunnel back into general discussion, while initial feasibility studies for a possible link have already been made.[8] Current estimates for the cost are around NZ$1.5 billion (or up to $2.4 billion according to other estimates),[2] taking 12–16 years to plan and build.[9][10][11] On 5 March 2008 ARTA revealed that it had begun preliminary planning for a 3.5 km tunnel between Britomart and Mt Eden, beneath Albert Street and including underground stations near Wellesley St and Karangahape Road,[12] with the Wellesley St station, 18 m under the surface, potentially being larger and seeing more passengers than Britomart (projections of up to 7,700 per peak hour).[9]
In 2008 work on the tunnel designations was under way, and in October 2008 ONTRACK said that it had reached an agreement in principle with the owners of Westfield Downtown to allow the tunnel route to thread through the foundations of a proposed redevelopment of the site.[13]
In 2009 and 2010, the discussion on the future tunnel gained much more prominence again, with both candidates for the future Mayoralty of Auckland, John Banks and Len Brown, making the tunnel part of their election platforms. John Banks noted that it attracted cost-benefit returns much higher than many similar-sized roading projects, and would provide much enhanced, integrated access to the city centre.[14] Len Brown also strongly supports the tunnel, and further, a rail connection to Auckland Airport, as part of a package of measures to double public transport patronage within 15 years.[15] However, New Zealand's transport minister as of 2010, Steven Joyce, warned Aucklanders not to engage in wishful thinking. This comment of the minister regarding the CBD tunnel and other rail investment - set in context to massive roading projects driven forward by his government - has been considered politically risky, going against widespread opinion in Auckland in favour of better public transport.[16]
- 2010s Designation & Design
In March 2010 KiwiRail/ARTA selected a preferred route with three stations: beneath Albert St (in the block between Victoria St and Wellesley St), Karangahape Rd/Pitt St and Symonds St/Khyber Pass/Newton Rd. An estimated cost range of $1 billion to $1.5 billion is to be narrowed as part of a business case to be developed in association with concept design work over the rest of this year, before KiwiRail decides on seeking a notice of requirement to protect the route.[17] In mid 2011, national government noted that it still remained unconvinced of the economic benefits of the tunnel, but the Minister of Transport noted that he would not stand in the way of Auckland continuing planning and route designation work - if Auckland paid for it.[2]
In June 2011, and in response to scepticism at national government level about the feasibility of the project, Auckland Council voted to approve $2 million for planning and route protection for the tunnel, with Auckland Transport, rather than KiwiRail, undertaking the process.[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Keep Going With the CBD Rail Tunnel". Campaign for Better Transport. 5 May 2011. http://www.bettertransport.org.nz/2011/05/keep-going-with-the-cbd-rail-tunnel/. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Stuck in traffic". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10730146. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ^ "Rail-loop support swamps backing for road link". The New Zealand Herald. 14 July 2011. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10738341. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ History of Auckland City - Chapter 4 (from the Auckland City Council website. Accessed 2008-06-07.)
- ^ "Auckland City Development Works - Cost to Government". Evening Post: pp. 8. 9 November 1928. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19281109.2.49&srpos=1&e=-------10--1----0morningside+deviation--. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Cost of £2,000,000". Evening Post: pp. 10. 29 September 1936. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19360929.2.98&srpos=7&e=-------10--1-byDA---2auckland+tunnel--. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ Chapter 2 - City Takes Control 1959-1995 (from the Britomart Transport Centre website. Accessed 2008-09-06.)
- ^ a b Auckland’s rail network tomorrow: 2016 to 2030 (PDF) (from the ARTA, August 2006)
- ^ a b c Huge underground rail station in mid-town plan - The New Zealand Herald, Friday 1 August 2008
- ^ Dearnaley, Mathew (21 May 2007). "$1b Auckland rail upgrade powers ahead". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10440850. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ Following the money - e.nz magazine, IPENZ, January/February 2007
- ^ Mathew Dearnaley (5 March 2008). "$1b loop tunnel plan to unlock Britomart". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/organisation/story.cfm?o_id=500511&objectid=10496216. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ Tunnel deal brings rail loop step closer - The New Zealand Herald, 2008-10-14
- ^ "John Banks: Rail loop to unlock the potential of Auckland". The New Zealand Herald. 12 October 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10602645&pnum=1. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "Brown vows he'll unite, not divide". The New Zealand Herald. 31 August 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10594210. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "National one year on: Beware the backlash of frustrated commuters". The New Zealand Herald. 6 November 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10607587&pnum=2. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "Experts pinpoint best tunnel route". The New Zealand Herald. 11 March 2010. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/transport/news/article.cfm?c_id=97&objectid=10631222&pnum=0. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Auckland Council presses on with rail project". TVNZ. 28 June 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/auckland-council-presses-rail-project-4271266. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
Categories:- Rail transport in Auckland
- Railway tunnels
- Proposed tunnels
- Proposed railway lines in New Zealand
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