What should AT do with PT for Whangaparaoa after Penlink Opens

Auckland Transport created a bit of a kerfuffle with Whangaparaoa residents last year with the suggestion the the Gulf Harbour ferry could be stopped after Penlink opened. Now they’re asking for feedback on how public transport services should work in the future and giving three options.

People on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula are being asked what they want from their future bus and ferry services, as Auckland Transport (AT) launches its four-week public engagement campaign today.

Auckland Transport has commissioned an independent study to identify a public transport network for the peninsula that would benefit the most people following the opening of O Mahurangi Penlink.

The opening of O Mahurangi Penlink will be a significant change for the peninsula says Dave Hilson, AT’s Principal Service Network Planner.

“We need to plan what this means for public transport on the peninsula and are asking people what’s important to them, whether that’s having a variety of transport choices, more frequent services, more direct routes, or faster travel times.

AT say they don’t expect to make any changes to services before 2028 when the existing Gulf Harbour ferry contract is due to end even though Penlink is currently due to be completed in 2026.

At a high-level the three options are

• Scenario 1: Existing buses and ferry run more often than they do today.
• Scenario 2: The NX2 serves a new Whangaparāoa Station via O Mahurangi Penlink throughout the day, and a new frequent bus service runs between Gulf Harbour and the new station. The Gulf Harbour ferry does not run.
• Scenario 3: The Gulf Harbour ferry service, and a new frequent bus service between Gulf Harbour and Hibiscus Coast Station. NX2 does not use O Mahurangi Penlink and serves Hibiscus Coast Station at peak times only.

I think Scenario 2 is the best but let’s look at them.

Scenario 1 – Existing buses and ferry run more often than they do today

In this scenario there is no change to existing routes but a few services would run more frequently, but not by much. To me this is the worst of the options.

Scenario 2 – NX2 via O Mahurangi Penlink, and frequent 99 bus service between Gulf Harbour and new Whangaparāoa Station

As I noted above, I think this is the best option and that’s because it will provide faster journey times for most trips. This option is the only one that would see buses make use of Penlink which also means it provides more options for people living in the area. In addition a new frequent bus will connect the eastern part of the peninsula to a Whangaparaoa bus station. The main trade-offs here are that the ferry service is dropped and people wanting to get to mid-town or the universities would need to transfer to the NX2 at Albany or one of the other busway stations – though given the frequency increases south of Albany, this should be a pretty quick and easy transfer.

One thing about this that AT note is:

When O Mahurangi Penlink opens it will have one general traffic lane in each direction. It will be future proofed to include bus shoulder lanes – these would allow AT buses to bypass any congestion in the general traffic lanes.

The bus shoulder lanes will not be available when the new highway first opens. At this time, it is not known when the bus shoulder lanes would be available to AT buses.

Why won’t Waka Kotahi have them available from day one?

Scenario 3 – Gulf Harbour ferry service, and frequent 99 bus service between Gulf Harbour and Hibiscus Coast Station

This is somewhat of a hybrid between the two options. It retains the ferry service but doesn’t make use of Penlink so in return the frequent service above is run through to Silverdale.

Additional Information

AT say they are not seeking feedback on a scenario where both the ferry is retained and Penlink is used noting

AT is not seeking public feedback on a scenario that includes both of the following:

• A frequent NX2 serving a new Whangaparāoa Station via O Mahurangi Penlink throughout the day, seven days a week; and
• The Gulf Harbour ferry service running throughout the day, seven days a week

The operating cost of such a network would exceed the available budget, which has already been set for the next ten years.

They have provided some other useful additional information about these options, most notably some estimated journey times from various places along the peninsula to either Silverdale, Constellation Busway Station or to the city centre.

In almost all examples, Scenario 2 will provide faster journey times, in some cases over 20 minutes faster than the other two options. Even catching the bus from Gulf Harbour to the city centre with a transfer is expected to be faster than the ferry from Gulf Harbour.

They’ve also highlighted this showing where people are travelling based on the 2018 census.

There’s more information about the options available on the AT website and they list some public sessions taking place over the coming weeks if you want to speak to someone in person.

Consultation closes on Sunday 1 December.

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