CBD Rail Tunnel business case released
The business case for the CBD Rail Tunnel has finally been released. You can read it all here.
There’s masses to comment on, but overall it seems the business case is very sound. Taking into account transport benefits only, the project has a BCR of 1.13 at an 8% discount ratio.…
Comment ‘Compelling case’ for $2b Auckland rail tunnel says Brown
Breaking news courtesy of Stuff.co.nz: the CBD rail tunnel has a positive cost-benefit ratio, ranging from 1.1 at the most stringent criteria, through to an amazing 6.6 when including Wider Economic Benefits and a low discount rate.
It seems that much of these results are in line with what was expected, with large direct benefits plus huge secondary benefits related to land use and development. …
Critiquing motorway economics
I was having a read through a number of submissions on the Waterview Connection project today and came along a very interesting submission by Auckland University Associate Professor of Economics, Rema Vaithianathan, that is worthy of sharing. The useful thing that Rema’s submission does is include an article she wrote for the Road & Transport Research Journal back in September last year on the economics of urban motorways – with the Waterview Connection as a case study.…
Auckland Council on the holiday highway
As I noted yesterday, the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of Auckland Council’s transport committee has now been published online. As well as talking about the CBD Rail Tunnel, the agenda provides members of the transport committee with a brief update on major transport projects around the Auckland region (though it is odd that integrated ticketing is listed, but then no information on it is provided – what’s up with that?)…
All will be revealed on Thursday
The first meeting of Auckland Council’s Transport Committee, this coming Thursday, is shaping up to be a fascinating event. The very first item on their agenda relates to the business case for the CBD Rail Tunnel – which by the sounds of it has (finally) been completed.…
Vancouver vs Auckland: the case for openness
I’ve talked a lot about the need for the new Auckland Transport CCO to be open, transparent and accountable about what it does – and how this will be a dramatic change from the highly secretive agency that ARTA was. There were some very positive steps towards this last week, with Auckland Transport announcing at the first meeting of their board that all future meetings will be held in public.…
Rod Oram on the holiday highway
A really interesting article by Rod Oram in the Sunday Star Times today, discussing the cost effectiveness of the government’s various roading projects. Here are a few sections:
The government told owners of 55 properties last week that their homes or other buildings could be bulldozed to make way for its $1.65 billion Puhoi to Wellsford motorway.…
Puhoi-Warkworth: open day
I went along to the NZTA open day on the Puhoi-Warkworth section of the “holiday highway” project today. There was a lot of information there, and it was definitely worthwhile making the trip. Most of my opposition to the Puhoi-Wellsford road of national (party) significance so far has been because I think it’s poor value for money and because I’m worried that it will delay essential safety upgrades to the existing state highway one road.…
Holiday highway battle heats up
The battle over the Puhoi-Wellsford “holiday highway” seems to be heating up, after route announcements earlier this week for the Puhoi to Warkworth section. One interesting thing that was left off the 3D video of the proposal was any interchange to allow locals to access the new road from Puhoi and Mahurangi.…
Tamaki Drive: cycling death-trap
It is always tragic when anyone dies on the roads. But it is especially frustrating when deaths are so easily preventable – and especially when a danger-spot has been previously pointed out as “an accident waiting to happen”, but nothing is done until, somewhat inevitably, that accident does happen.…
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