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 to be printed two pages per A4 sheet so that we save on printing costs. If you have time to distribute the flyers or have access to a high capacity colour printer, let us know on the contact form on the home page so that we can co-ordinate ..read more

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. The NZTA Board will be meeting in March and further information, including updated timeframes for consultation, is expected to be available following that meeting. This marks a shift in NZTA’s approach. Let’s ..read more

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, lower construction costs, lower carbon emissions and less pollution of our environment. We are hosting a free public meeting so you can find out the latest and support our campaign. MC’d by Barb Cuthbert from Bike Auckland, speakers include: Cameron ..read more

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 the park will be reinstated and, with the removal of the overhead viaduct, we envisage this will provide a more open and useable space for the city. We would also look to work with Auckland Council on any opportunities for enhancement to the park d ..read more

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 help more people travel to and from the Shore and avoid congestion. It’s great that the Greens are formally on board. It would be even better to have the other political parties as well.  It should be every politi ..read more

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 of missing the opportunity again. The current plan risks wasting billions on a road-only second harbour crossing, and neglects to seriously analyse the possibility of a rail tunnel. Now is the time to look to the North with rail in mind. We couldn’t agree more Councillor. Let’s hope your fellow co ..read more

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 transit to Auckland Airport.  Of course, years after the completion of the Manukau Harbour Crossing project we are still waiting for rail to the airport, and in the meantime the $1.8bn East West Link and Kirkbride Road projects effectively undo the so called “f ..read more

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 for Better Transport spokesperson Cameron Pitches. The Government funded NZ Transport Agency has $27m budgeted to progress a legal designation for a six lane road-only tunnel across the Waitemata Harbour, in spite of a preliminary business case indicating the project will only return t ..read more

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 to be printed two pages per A4 sheet so that we save on printing costs. If you have time to distribute the flyers or have access to a high capacity colour printer, let us know on the contact form on the home page so that we can co-ordinate ..read more

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 the community in the second half of 2016. At this stage, lodgement is planned for end of 2016 / first half of 2017. This would be followed by public notification and a hearing thereafter. Obviously it is going to be interesting to see what the “indicative ..read more