JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green) to the Minister of Transport: What is the cost of deferring the construction of the Auckland City Rail Link from 2015, the preferred start date of Auckland Council, to 2020, the Government's proposed start date?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Transport) : There was never an agreed start date for the City Rail Link, so there is no deferral.
Julie Anne Genter : I seek leave to table a report to the Auckland Council Transport Committee that states that the cost will be $100 million a year, a total cost of half a billion dollars for the delay.
Mr SPEAKER : What is the source of that document?
Julie Anne Genter : It is a report from Auckland Transport to the Auckland Council Transport Committee.
Mr SPEAKER : Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There appears to be none. It can be tabled.
Document, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am deeply concerned. If that was the verification for this question being asked, then apparently that is some justification for the term "delay" being put in the question. There is no delay. There has been no agreed start.
Mr SPEAKER : Order! The question was ruled in order. The Minister very satisfactorily answered the question. Leave was then sought to table a particular document. No objection was raised. It has been tabled. I will now look to the member for further supplementary questions.
Julie Anne Genter : Given that forecasts state that by 2021 the existing rail and bus network in Auckland City centre will be at full capacity, will he now prioritise the City Rail Link to reduce costs and congestion sooner and receive the benefits all across the transport network sooner?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : Well, the first point is that the benefit-cost ratios on this rail loop in 2021 are incredibly poor. The member regularly refers to those in relation to roads but seems to want to ignore them in relation to rail. The other point would be that we have said clearly to Auckland that if the conditions that are outlined in the Auckland transport plan do start to show signs of bearing truth, then we would want to move forward the project itself. That is not an unreasonable position. But to simply stand in this House and assert that we are going to be in a certain situation by 2021, knowing that the benefit-cost ratios then will only be between 0.4 and 0.9, I think, is plain irresponsible.
Iain Lees-Galloway : Does he believe that the Congestion Free Network proposed by Generation Zero and the Auckland Transport Blog is desirable; if so, does he understand that in order for that network to be completed by 2030, components like the rail link must be prioritised now rather than deferring them to build more motorways first?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : What I understand is that there are lots of organisations out there prepared to spend money on behalf of the Government. We look at what is a reasonable position to reach. We are in discussions with Auckland Transport. We have set down some conditions around the funding that the Government wants to commit to this rail loop at an appropriate time. I think that is where it should lead. I am not responding to any of these various groups that will come up with any number of fast ideas about how the Government should spend its money.
Julie Anne Genter : Given that traffic volumes in Auckland have been declining steadily for 7 years now, why is his Government pushing ahead with the "Holiday Highway", which is only going to save 2 minutes for most drivers on most days, while delaying the start of the City Rail Link, which will not only save up to half an hour for Auckland commuters every weekday but also take 50,000 cars off Auckland's congested roads?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : First, the Government does not have a road on its programme referred to as the "Holiday Highway". What we do have is concerns about access into the north. As for the issue around patronage, we have made it very clear to Auckland Transport that if we see those patronage figures nearing the estimates, then we would be prepared to look at our funding commitment sooner.
Julie Anne Genter : So is the Government's plan to wait for congestion to reach a critical point in 2021 before acting, rather than getting the right infrastructure built in advance that is not only going to benefit rail users but is going to provide certainty for business and benefit motorists most of all?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE : What the Government has said is that when we see the conditions that Auckland Transport set for itself starting to resemble the numbers that it is predicting, then we will want to talk about moving forward. Other than that, we are saying business plans are starting in 2017, with construction starting in 2020.
Julie Anne Genter : I seek leave to table this graph showing the Minister that traffic volumes are declining.
Mr SPEAKER : Order! What is the source of the document?
Julie Anne Genter : The New Zealand Transport Agency, but we have turned it into a graph to be more helpful to the Minister.
Mr SPEAKER : If it is information available from the New Zealand Transport Agency, then members can get it.
What is the cost of deferring the construction of the Auckland City Rail Link from 2015, the preferred start date of Auckland Council, to 2020, the Government's proposed start date?