WHY RAIL?
CAPACITY
A rail crossing will have the capacity to carry more people at peak times. In contrast, the proposed vehicle tunnels are likely to flood Auckland’s CBD with single occupant cars and create yet more bottlenecks on the surrounding motorway network.
CARBON
A rail crossing powered by renewable electricity will generate significantly less carbon emissions compared to a vehicular crossing, and will not require tall ventilation stacks for exhaust fumes at Northcote and Westhaven. Our reliance on imported petrol and diesel will also reduce.
COST
A rail crossing has the potential to be more cost-effective. Smaller diameter tunnels for rail are estimated to cost $1.2 – $1.5bn, compared to $3.7bn and $4.7bn for two three lane vehicle tunnels. The difference is huge and could fund a rapid transit network covering the North Shore.
Supporting Organisations
The Campaign for Better Transport
Greater Auckland
TransportBlog
Latest news
Route Protection Update
We were expecting planning approvals to be lodged with Auckland Council by now, however we recently received the following update from the NZTA: Our initial timeframes for route protection have changed, as we are considering a wider range of possible sub options, the outputs from ATAP and opportunities for greater integration with work underway from our project partners.[…]
North Shore Rail Public Meeting 15th September
Right now, the Transport Agency is planning an additional $6bn road crossing across the Waitemata, with the possible reintroduction of tolls to pay for it. A road crossing has no business case and is likely to cause more congestion on Auckland’s roads, not less. Instead, an electrified rail crossing would offer more capacity for people,[…]
AWHC Impacts On Victoria Park
Officials from the NZTA have provided an update on the likely impact on Victoria Park Currently we understand that during construction a portion of Victoria Park, in the vicinity of the current viaduct (i.e. towards the western end), will be needed in order to build the tunnels and permanently remove the current viaduct structure. Post-construction[…]
Greens On Board With Rail to the Shore
Yesterday the Greens demonstrated their support for North Shore rail with Julie-Anne Genter hosting a media event at Takapuna. “The Green Party is calling on the Government to make rail the priority for Auckland’s second harbour crossing,” said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter. “Building a rail line is the most cost-effective, sensible way to[…]
Chris Darby On North Shore Rail
Councillor Chris Darby has come out in support of North Shore rail, in this opinion piece for the Herald. He’s the only Auckland City councillor so far to do so. Rail to the Shore formed part of the original 1950s plan for the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Sixty years later, a government is on the verge[…]
NZTA Designating for Road Only
TransportBlog did a recent post showing that NZTA are not including rail in their $27m budget for an additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing. Instead, NZTA are leaving the rail designation up to Auckland Transport and Kiwirail. On the face of it this might seem a valid approach, but this is the same approach used for rapid[…]
North Shore Rail the Next Step
Auckland Transport and the NZ Transport Agency are being urged to progress rail to the North Shore, following the ground breaking ceremony for the City Rail Link today. “The CRL will remove a major bottleneck in the rail network, so the time is right to begin planning for rail to the North Shore,” said Campaign[…]
Spread the word with the North Shore Rail Flyer
The online petition is steadily growing with over 1,100 supporters at last count, but we need to get the word out on to the street. You can help by printing off this Support North Shore Rail Flyer and handing it out to people you know (and maybe people you don’t!). It’s two pages as it is designed[…]
Harbour Crossing Consultation Timeframes Slipping
We recently received an update from the NZTA on when to expect consultation on the new harbour crossing. Previously we had been told that consultation would be taking place about now, however NZTA are now saying: Current timeframes have moved slightly to what was previously suggested. We are planning to share an indicative design with[…]
Online Petition Nears 1,000 signatures
Our online petition at change.org is close to 1,000 signatures! Spread the word about rail to the North Shore so we can break through this milestone and on to the next. Every signature helps demonstrate the popular support we know this project has!